The Game
by janiemanie1993
Summary: Not Being Continued. Up for Adoption.
1. Invites, Billionaires, and Burglars

**First things first: This is not my original plot. Aurorawolfa was first writing this, but then she got bored. She gave me the idea because I wanted to continue it. I've changed the names and now I've got the reins to this story. I'M PUMPED!!! **

**Point two: If you're confused, don't worry. I'll explain as I go along. If I don't explain though, send me something in your review…. You are going to review, right?**

**Disclaimer: I dis any claims you think I have on this. It's not even my plot idea!!!!!!!! And this goes for all chapters in this thing.**

Chapter One: Invites, Billionaires, and Burglars

Collage life was great, but sometimes lonely. I loved my high school back in my home town, even with all the stuck ups and jocks. I shouldn't have saved up money for my own apartment 30 minutes from campus. What few friends I had managed to make during class were living in the dorms, having a blast sharing secrets and nail polish. I'm not good at making companions. I hadn't even had a boyfriend during my high school years. Still, sometimes lonely was relaxing. I pick my own bedtimes, no one plays obnoxious music at 1 am, and I can throw my own parties. Now, I'm my own boss and I don't share a room with stupid little siblings. Sure, I love my sister, but it gets annoying when you don't have any privacy. Life was good, but boring.

After all, being an average hedgehog was already boring. No powers like that cool Sonic guy. 95 cm in height was average and I never share my weight, which is also average. My deep red, long quills were the only good thing about me. Many hedgehog girls can't grow long quills, so I was one of the lucky few. Amazingly, it stayed back, so I didn't have to use a headband or anything. My muzzle and the inside of my ears were very tan and the rest of my body was grey. My eyes were black and my ears were pieced. I wore my ruby earrings, black shirt with black and red tie, gold belt, red plaid skirt, black boots and fingerless gloves. The usual for the usual: boring.

So when I got to my apartment on the 4th floor, room 467, and find a blood red envelope shoved under my door, I got excited. _PARTY TIME,_ I thought, _yes… but whose birthday is it?_ I was so curious, I couldn't even wait until I got inside. I took my metallic blue pocket knife out and cut the letter open. I slipped the knife back on my skirt and read the following:

_Dear Samantha Rivers,_

_ I, Shadow the hedgehog, have invited you and ten guests into my glorious mansion. It has been years since anyone else has set foot in it. You are obviously one of the lucky eleven residents that will be staying in my wonderful mansion for twelve days. Bring only your important items, clothes, hygiene products, and anything else you desire. Food will be served at the mansion, and no need to bring video games, or anything to entertain yourself. You will not need them...for I assure you, you will not be bored._

_ There is only one stipulation: You must not tell anyone where you are going. I do not wish to make a big deal of this, and I wish you'd keep this private...even lie to everyone about this. I suggest telling them you're going to a friend's to stay for a while...I do not care what you say, but I just request that you tell no one._

_ I cannot wait for you to be at my wondrous mansion soon, Miss Rivers. I look forward to your visit, along with everyone else. Come to my mansion tomorrow at ten o'clock in the morning. I'll be seeing you soon._

_Sincerely,_

**Shadow the Hedgehog**

In case you never get out of YOUR apartment, this is THE Shadow the Hedgehog: Mysterious Billionaire Extraordinaire. He probably is worth more than that, but no one knows. That's where the mysterious part comes in. As far as anyone knows, he's a rich hedgehog living in a massive mansion out in the middle of nowhere on and even more massive piece of property. He's the most closed up celebrity to ever walk Mobius, or that's what Time magazine said. According to the few pictures that circle the web, he's also the hottest/sexiest/whatever. I think good looks come into play once you know the person, not before.

This was not what was running through my little hedgehog brain as I read the invitation, though. I couldn't believe it. It had to be a scam or a practical joke. I looked around for the Candid Camera, but I never saw anything. If it was a joke, there would have been something by now. Besides, my friends wouldn't even dream of pulling a prank like this. Scam wasn't likely, either. What would the scammer get from it?

I stepped inside and locked my door. I threw my books on my lone couch and took a seat. My mind was reeling. I read it again. I touched the black ink on the ruby paper. His scrawl was neat and he was a soft writer. Someone defiantly wrote it; it was not typed. The paper wasn't lined, either. Shadow had written in a perfectly straight line. _I need him to take my notes for me… _I thought. I folded it carefully like it was gold (which the edges could have been) and stuck the invite to my fridge with a magnet.

Now, what does a person take on an twelve day sojourn to a home of a billionaire, assuming that it really isn't just a big, cracked-up scam? I went to my room to grab my suitcase. As I turned on the light, I remembered that I haven't cleaned in some time. My pasty white walls didn't help with disguising the mess. _I might as well straighten up, _I thought, _I don't want to come back to this catastrophe. _I managed to wade through the clothes to get to my bed. I started getting the clothes off of it and throwing them into my laundry basket when something caught my eye.

It was another red note.

I stood there, stalk still, staring at it like it was a snake.

"WOAH!!!" was my intelligent response, but what else was there to say? This was no practical joke or scam. Now this was getting plan creepy, and I didn't like it AT ALL. With trembling fingers, I read the next letter of doom:

_Nice room, Miss Samantha. You have an interesting set of books...I seem to have grown attached to your book, Dragon Haven. You have many wonderful books that suit my tastes. I' can't wait to see what else we share in common. I'll see you soon. –S_

O.K. Calm. Calm. Breathe. A billionaire broke into my house without me knowing. This was no joke. Apparently I know something else about the mystery-hog.

He is a burglar, and he likes _Dragon Haven._

The worst part was that no one would believe me. I sat on my bed, staring at the empty space in my bookshelf were my once most precious book was kept. Call me a geek, but I liked reading, and fantasy satisfied my longing for other worlds. I have had moments where I could swear I could hear a dragon roar.

That's not the point now, though. Was I going to go or not? Pros of going: Meet Shadow the Hedgehog, spend 12 days in his mansion, get my book back, and cure my curiosity complex for good. Cons of going: He's a burglar, he has already shown he can be creepy, I have to lie to people about it, and 12 days is a long time. I, being my stupid self, decided to go. All the great stories have a brave protagonist, right? Well, now it's my turn.

With this new-found courage, I packed my bags for my stay at Shadow's, and lied to a couple of people so I could keep my end of the bargain. I was worn out by the stress of it all. I'm a horrible liar, so it takes a lot out of me.

I got together with some friends later. It is now one of my most fond memories because it almost was the last time I saw them in this life.

**I know you like the suspense at the end there… eh? Am I right or am I right? No? Ok. Next chapter coming soon!**


	2. I'm Almost Late for an Important Date

**Couple of things to note****: **If you read Aurorawolfa's story first, you might be bored for a while. Sorry, but that's how it's gotta be. You still need to read these chapters, though. Sorry this chapter took a while. I had to come up with some more characters and their descriptions, personality, life story, blah blah blah, AND I had to edit some of Aurorawolfa's characters so I wouldn't feel like I was completely stealing. Also, if you find some mistakes, please tell me in your review. I would love that. I had to change some things too. Like Samantha's body is now _**grey**_.

DISCLAIMER: I claim that coffee is good. Especially with hazelnut creamer…. mmmmmmm

Chapter Two: I'm (Almost) Late for an Important Date

Mornings were never my forte. Everyone knew except for Shadow, apparently. For me, 10 a.m. was too early to be up, much less be at a stranger's house. Also, it never helps when you stay out late with friends, then come home and stress about the next day.

So this morning, when I heard that infernal radio, I slammed my fist a little too hard on the snooze button. When it finally played another song, I shut the alarm off and lazily took a look at the time.

"HOLY MOLEY, IT'S 9:30!" I was supposed to be out the door by now! I quickly got up and ran to the shower, where I cleaned myself, fixed my quills, and dried off. No anthro (or furry animal, for that matter) can just air dry or blow dry. Air drying leaves a very funny smell afterwards, and blow drying makes fur stick up in all sorts of places. We have to resort to sauna drying. Basically, you sit in a box and it dries you. Not much more I can tell you about that. It's not my forte either.

After that, I got dressed in my usual outfit plus a pair of jeans under my skirt, and ran out the door with my suitcase. I had a sneaky feeling I was forgetting something very important, so I stopped and went back in. Whenever I forget something, I find it helpful to just standstill, close my eyes, and try to remember. I stood for maybe a minute when I heard something land on the floor. I looked down and saw my directions to Shadow's home, 1344 Westing Road. I scooped it up because it must have been what I was forgetting, and high-tailed it out of there. Once on the sidewalk, I turned on my Extreme Gear.

"Dark Skate!" I yelled, and my trusty hover-board materialized out of my boots like a snowboard for concrete. It instantly lifted my about a half of a foot off the ground, and I zoomed away.

My hover-board was my pride and joy. I got it at the Twin Tails Skate Emporium. Supposedly, Tails Prower sold all of his designs there for money. How else did you think that Sonic and Tails survived? Anyways, instead of jumping twice like most boards, this one was designed to activate with a code word or words. Whatever it was, it kind of made it you board's name. I not only got to pick the words, but I got to design it, too. On the bottom of the board, I got 'Dark Skate' written in black flaming handwriting. It had gold accents, but other than that, it was all red with more black flames. It's sweet, I know, but not cool without pants. Usually I walk everywhere to keep fit, but because I had planned on riding, jeans underneath my skirt were necessary.

I knew the first streets on the directions well, so I went as fast as I dared. Just to give you a picture of how fast I was going, I live 60 miles from Shadow's. If I had done as planned and left at 9:30, I would have to have gone at least… oh curse math… 120 miles/hour to get there (I think). I left at 9:48 and still got there on time. You do the math now.

When I finally hovered up, I was tired. You try dodging cars on a hover-board with a suitcase sometime! When I looked up, I gasped. I was staring up at massively large black gates that guarded a perfect night-black stone driveway. The gates were covered with flowers and vines, but they did not give off the overgrown feeling. Down the walkway was a circle with a fountain in the center to make it easier for cars to pull around and leave. The house itself was magnificent. It looked like it was built out of ebony wood and onyx stone. I didn't know if you could do that, but it was Shadow the hedgehog. He probably could do whatever he wanted. I could tell from my distance that the lamps on the porch were golden, as well as the lampposts going down the driveway. The mansion itself was impossibly large. I couldn't wait to explore!

"Hello, are you one of the guests?" I jumped at the new voice and realized what an idiot I looked like. I turned my head towards the gatekeeper, a silver hedgehog with blue and gold bracelets that radiated power. He smiled at me as I stuttered my answer.

"Y-Y-Yes, and Y-You are?"

"Silver the Hedgehog," he replied. _What a creative name,_ I thought sarcastically.

"Samantha Rivers. Nice to meet you." I deactivated my Extreme Gear and stood awkwardly.

"Yes, well," he answered just as awkwardly. "Do you have the invitation?" My muzzle paled.

"Invitation?"

"Yes, so I can let you in." he chuckled.

"Oh. Right," That's what I forgot! It wasn't the directions I forgot, it was my ticket in! I even read that on the envelope we had to have it with us to enter. As I stood there thinking of what I was going to say, I noticed Silver staring at me. I looked down to see what he was so interested in. I had to hold back a gasp.

The invitation was sticking out of my pocket.

Now, I'm hard to scare. I wasn't scared when I found the note on my bed, just creeped out. This was different. I DID NOT have this with me when I left my house. I know it was on my fridge, trapped underneath my stupid flower magnet. That means someone stuck it on me. I realized that it must have been when I was trying to remember what I was forgetting. That must have been when the directions fell, too. They must have floated off the kitchen counter when whoever did it walked by. I only know one anthro who could have done that.

Shadow had struck again. He must REALLY want me at his abode…

I shakily gave the invitation to the gatekeeper and he inspected it.

"Alright, everything's good here. Have a nice stay!" he said cheerily. I wondered briefly if he knew if his boss was downright scary. Silver raised his hands towards the gates and his funky bracelets glowed. Then the gate started to glow too, and then slowly open. I walked in and waved goodbye to Silver. It must be fun to be telekinetic. Yeah, he's defiantly telekinetic. What else could he possibly be? I walked down the walkway, taking in the new sites and sounds. Shadow had all sorts of plants that his gardeners must take very good care of. My mother would love this place.

I sighed and proceeded up the steps to the door. I inspected the knockers. They had to be gold which is not what I expected a knocker to be made out of. It took all of my courage to lift it and let it drop. It made a resounding boom that probably echoed through the house. I waited for what felt like an eternity. When I finally managed to regain my bravery to lift the knocker of doom again, I heard footsteps. I held my breath as the massive door opened.

I was expecting a creepy butler like in all of those horror films my friends and I would watch way into the night, but I was now face to face with THE Shadow the Hedgehog. His face was stoic and seemingly devoid of humor. He carried his tall and lithe frame with dignity, not condescendingly. His ruby eyes reveled nothing. It was like looking at a brick wall. He looked sort of ageless. His shoes gave him added height over me, along with his red striped quills. He wore a crimson coat over his dark fur with black pants. You could see his gold bracelets (_what's up with these people and bracelets, _I thought) poking out barely, along with his chest fur coming out the top of the coat. In short, he took my breath away. I momentarily forgot he broke into my house multiple times

"Hello, Miss Rivers." his dark, resinous voice called me from my mental lapse.

"Hello… You must be... uh… Sir Shadow?" I stated. I was kicking myself. _SIR Shadow?!?! He's not a knight, for cryin' out loud!!! _He seemed amused at my distress.

"Please, you may call me simply Shadow. May I have the honor of calling you Samantha?"

"O-Ok."

"Well then, Samantha, Welcome to my humble abode." _If this was humble, I wonder what he thinks of my apartment. That reminds me! This guy entered my house. That's no need to be more nervous then you are, Samantha, no need at all. _Shadow held out his hand, so I gave him my own. He bowed and kissed it, making my heart stop and then practically bound out of my chest. He must have known because he smirked at me. Or he could have just seen my now bright crimson muzzle.

"Err… Thanks," I mumbled.

"No need to be so shy, Samantha," He mock scolded as he led me inside.

"I-I'm not this shy all the time," I tried to reassure him and myself, "Your just intimidating."

"Really?" he said chuckling, "Well, you're not the first to mention that. Come, you must meet the others if you think I am as such." He led me into his foyer, which was awe-inspiring. It had two spiral stair cases with a statue in the middle. I wasn't focused on it, but I do remember it was a girl. I could tell this house had many stories with many rooms. Did I already say I couldn't wait to explore?!?!

"Wow…" was all I could force myself to say.

"I am glad you like it," Shadow replied as he let go of my really sweaty hand. "But you should see my favorite room."

"I can't wait. This beats my apartment." He turned towards me with a twinkle in his eye.

"I disagree. Your apartment has a cozy feel."

"Humph. It's messy, though. This is spotless."

"Exactly why your home is cozier then mine." I considered this and felt that Shadow was correct. His home felt too formal, while my home puts me at ease. I smiled.

"Touché. You win."

"Am I forgiven for trespassing, then?" I laughed and he chuckled. _I wonder why he never REALLY laughs._

"Yes, completely. You don't seem so scary now."

"You are not so nervous anymore. That is excellent, because you still need to meet the other guests."

**I can't wait to meet the other guests!!! I wanted to make that all one chapter, but it was getting too long, so I put it into the next one. Hurrah! Already half way on the next chapter. This story is going to be longer than I expected… oh well. Just hang in there, former readers of Aurorawolfa's story! You will see action that you haven't seen soon. I promise. It's Easter! Sweet.**


	3. High School Never Ends

**YOU ALL BETTER BE HAPPY!!!!! THIS CHAPTER HAS TAKEN THE LONGEST THUS FAR!!! ****J. K. I'm not mad. This was enjoyable torture. I have to thank geN8hedgehog at for her furry doll makers. They were so helpful with some of the designs.**

**Disclaimer: It's 12 at night, and this is 7 pages long! Just give be a break, for cryin' out loud!!!! (sob)**

Chapter 3: High School Never Ends

He continued walking, holding my hand again, and we came to what must have been a sort of waiting area. It had no windows, but it did have a nice fireplace. It was quite hot outside, but there was still a fire going. It wasn't unbearable in the room, though. It was by far the coziest in Shadow's home yet. It also had multiple chairs scattered about, with a piano, harp, and violin set up in the corner. The walls of the room were red, but it had some white paneling going a third of the way up. A massive rug covered the entire floor. I loved this room, but if I had to guess, it probably wasn't Shadow's favorite.

"HEY!!!!" someone yelled, interrupting my sanity with its insanity. Then suddenly a dark blue hedgehog with bright sapphire eyes jumped in front of me causing me to step back, forcing me to let go of Shadow's glove. Shadow looked emotionless again as this male hedgehog continued with his babble. "I'M A VISITOR HERE! ARE YOU ONE, TOO?!?! THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!! HOW ARE YOU?!?! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!?! I'M MORGAN! NICE TO MEET YOU!! DO YOU LIKE CALL OF DUTY??? IS PURPLE COOL??? HAVE YOU PLAYED HALO?? DO YOU LIKE SPAGETTI?? WILL YOU BE MY NIEGHBOR????" I looked at Shadow for support, but he offered nothing but an amused smirk. This visitor was dressed in a shirt that said 'Everyone Is Special' with some blue jeans. He wore absolutely hideous lime green and yellow shoes that could make your eyes hurt. He was shorter than me, even with his shoes. He LOOKED 25, but he didn't act like it AT ALL.

"UH…" I tried to remember every question he asked me. If I wasn't such an auditory learner, I would have failed. "Hi. Yes. Good. Samantha. Nice to meet you too, Morgan. Not really. Purple's cool. Yes. No, and… sure?"

"Goody!!!" Then Morgan gave me a very tight hug. _He would give Sonic a run for his money in the 'Hyper-Active Blue Hedgehog' department. _I pushed him off of me in order to regain my personal space bubble that had been effectively popped. _I wonder what he did to Shadow._ I could imagine the very hyper Morgan tackling the billionaire and had to suppress my laughter. I looked around again, this time for more visitors.

"Who gave that twerp espresso beans?" I couldn't see who said it until I saw a very deep grey head sticking up past the top of one of the chairs facing away from me.

"No, this is normal." Morgan replied, completely aware of who the other male was talking about. "You need to see me when I get some Jelly Beans!!!"

"Please, honey, don't put us through that," said another voice, this one feminine. "Besides, you are already a handful." I found who was speaking. She was sitting on one of the ceiling banisters. She was a white bat that had her head-fur growing a little past her mouth. Her eyes were an amazing green and she had blue eye shadow on. She wore a very unusual outfit, though. It was sort of like a sleeveless cat suit, but it had heart on the front. She wore white boots with a little pink heart on the tips of them, and long purple-and-white gloves. She looked sly, and her posture was even more so. She couldn't have been older than me, but I could bet confidently that she had more experience then she looked like she had. She unfurled her midnight wings and glided down towards me. "Hi. I'm Rouge, Samantha. It's nice to meet you." She held out her hand and I shook it. Her grip was very strong, and yet delicate.

"It's nice to know I'm not the only girl," I laughed. She was easy to talk to.

"Oh, don't worry, there are more coming." That caught me by surprise.

"Are you not a visitor?"

"No, I'm not. I'm a friend of Smiley's over there," she pointed to Shadow, who was leaning quietly against the wall watching us. "I'm just helping out this… get-together."

"Cool. Nice to meet you." I put my heavy suitcase by the wall and I walked over to the other visitor, curiosity possessing me. In the fabulous throne sat a very angry-looking wolf. His muscles rippled from underneath his dark grey fur, and his dark purple eyes seemed to scream 'touch me and die'. He wore no shirt, I assume to show off his 'guns', and light grey cut off jeans. _Oh, how I wish his pants were purple so I could call him the 'Hulk'._ He looked me up and down like I was a slab of meat at the super market.

"Well, what do you want?" he growled at me.

"Nice to meet you too, Grumpy. I'm Samantha, and you are…?" I replied very nonchalantly. He stood up at the insult and I found out just how tall he was. Even if I stretched out my hands and stood on my tip toes, I still wouldn't touch his head. I might get close, but not close enough for a fight. I stood my ground, none-the-less.

"Torque. Torque Hall. Remember that name you-"

"Oh, look, more guests." Shadow butted in, saving me from having to cover Morgan's ears, "Now, play like nice children until I get back. Rouge, you're in charge. Keep Samantha from being pulverized."

"I resent that remark!" I yelled. Gargantuan looked confused at this exchange. All brawn, no brain. What a sad combination. I was going to have fun annoying him. Shadow left and then I heard the boom of doom from the door.

"That's creepy. How'd he do that?" Morgan wondered aloud.

"He did that before you came in," replied Torque, "And if you don't shut up and calm down, I swear I'll kill you." I saw the perfect opportunity to begin Operation: Ticked, as I dubbed it.

"You'd have to lose weight and catch him first."

I should have seen the fist coming. Of all the things I thought he wasn't, he was fast. Luckily for me, Rouge saw it coming and got me out of the way from his fist up to one of the over hangs. Already my first day, and I almost got killed. This was going to be a blast!

"Now honey," she said, "I know it's fun to pester the guys that are stupid AND strong, but there is an art to it. Get more practice before you stand so close."

"Yeah, you twerp, go cry to momma!"

"At least I can detect insults." _I'm starting to sound like Shadow, all proper and all._

"What? When?"

"Too slow, Torque. You missed it. It just ran out the door." To my utter surprise, Torque actually looked around for the 'insults'. He finally got it and probably would have shouted some not nice things if he wasn't interrupted.

"SWEET HONEY ICE TEA, THIS IS SO COOL!" A new bat that I would learn to love as a friend walked in with his two small bags. His body was a dark brown, which contrasted to his green eyes. His muzzle and chest were white. He wore a black sweat shirt and long green pants. His bat wings somehow managed to fit out of a hole in the back. He probably was around 18.

"Great, not another hyper freak." I couldn't blame Torque for saying that. He said my fears aloud exactly as this guest walked in. The bat's face contorted with rage, and I knew then that he wasn't the same type of freak as Morgan. Morgan could take the insults. This bat couldn't. Before I could stop myself, I hopped down from my sanctuary and took hold of this situation with tact.

"Ignore Vile-and-Ugly over there. I'm Samantha. What's your name?" I'm not good with tact, apparently. Torque then attempted to slam me from behind, but the guest tackled me out of the way, his sleeve rolling up in the process. His arm was covered in long scars. I gave a gasp and he quickly fixed his disguise, giving me a 'Please don't tell' look. I crossed my heart and smiled at him. _I don't want to know where they came from, and I'm certainly not going to tell everyone about them_. I think he understood, because he smiled back.

You see, I have friends like that. They have scars or burns on them. They are so ashamed of them that they vainly try to cover them. I somehow always found out. I never tell a soul, but I try to comfort them in my own little ways. I'm not terribly nosey and I don't care what people look like. It's the inside that counts. Take Torque, for example. He could be counted among the 'Hot and Gorgeous', but in case you didn't notice, I could have cared less.

When we got up and turned around, Shadow and Rouge had regained control of Torque. Rouge walked over to me.

"Lesson two: never turn your back to the person your insulting."

"Man, I need to take notes!"

"Anyways," interjected my savior, "I'm Vincent Dollens." My new found friend gave me his hand and I shook it_._ _He must bounce back fast. _A slam came, indicating another guest and Shadow left again. Torque sat in a corner nursing his pride. Morgan proceeded to interrogate poor Vincent while I laughed at him.

He was becoming frustrated when Shadow returned with the next guest. He almost had to drag her into the room. When she finally came in, she curled up into a tight ball.

"Awww, what a sweet little armadillo…" Rouge gushed. "She's so shy!" Shadow seemed amused at Rouge's reaction. She immediately went, picked up the live ball of armor and put it in a chair. Even Morgan was quiet as the newest arrival finally uncurled herself. Her armor was alternating green and pink, while her body was black, like most armadillos. Her blue eyes seemed close to tears, she was so scared. She wore a green and pink camouflage sleeveless T-shirt with pink pants. Her shoes were brown moccasins to make it easier to curl up, and she wore little black gloves and socks. She was probably around 23, but she was so small that she looked 10.

"Hey," I said as sweetly as possible, "I'm Samantha. This is Rouge. What's your name?" I know I was being super nice, but she didn't relax at all. The guys weren't helping at all as Shadow was trying to protect Morgan from Torque while Vincent was cheering something about 'Battle Royal'.

"C-C-C-Cameron Anderson," she stuttered nervously. Rouge squeezed herself beside Cameron, hugging her.

"Don't be scared of us, sweetie," Rouge said soothingly. "We already like you!" Cameron's eyes lit up as she brushed away her tears. Rouge has a way with people, I'll give her that.

"Really?" she said hopefully.

"Yeah," I replied. "We do." Cameron hugged us both and she sat quietly, at peace in our company. We kept Morgan FAR AWAY. When another bang came and Shadow left, the room was a lot quieter.

For about 2 minutes. Then pure chaos erupted again in the form of a female fox. No, the fox wasn't the problem. It was the guy's reaction to her. She was completely white from head-to-toe except for her pink eyes and long, brown, curly hair. Her blue headband kept her hair from her face. She wore a dull blue, short-sleeve, mini zip-up sweatshirt that failed to cover most of her stomach. Her skirt was grey with some white frill sticking out from underneath that complemented her silver high-heels and gloves. She was laughing with Shadow when she walked in. Torque saw her and immediately walked over.

"Hey, babe," he said, trying to act... sexy I guess… "What's your name?"

"Give her space!" Vincent interrupted, pushing Torque aside, which is probably like pushing a mountain. "So, what IS your name?"

"YEAH, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!? DO YOU LIKE PICKLES?!? HOW DO YOU BEAT THE LAST LEVEL OF GHOST RECON 2?!? I STILL HAVN'T GOTTEN IT!!! HOW DID YOU GET YOUR EYES PINK!?! WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO LIFE, THE UNIVER-"

"What were you thinking, interrupting me?! Besides, you're too short for her."

"Get over it, Hulk. Whadda gonna to do? Turn Green?"

"Uh, excuse me," the female interrupted before Torque could beat Vincent. She sounded scared, and I don't blame her. "Let's start over. I'm Carrie Sullivan. Who are you?" She was looking pointedly at Morgan. As amazing as it sounds, he was out of words.

"Uh… Who me? I'm… uh… Morgan. Morgan Dingles." Carrie smiled and turned to the next boy.

"Me? Vincent Dollens. Pleasure to meet you."

"And I'm Torque Hall."

"Oh, what a cool name!" She flirted. I rolled my eyes and ignored them. She obviously didn't feel the same way as I did about people. Looks first, personality later. I did catch that she does some modeling stints for different brands. After that, I stopped caring completely. She reminded me of some cheerleaders I knew and wanted to forget. I never noticed that Shadow had gone back to the door until the next visitor arrived.

"HI!!!!!!" a rabbit squealed. She was a golden, hyperactive bunny with orange eyes. Her muzzle was white, but her stomach had brown fur. She had an orange and yellow Extreme Gear board, blue goggles, and yellow gloves. Her shirt was a dull blue with a purple flower. She wore knee-length jeans and orange sneakers. She probably was around Morgan's age. Somehow crazies can sense other crazies, because she immediately hopped over to Morgan. "HI, I'M RUTH BUNYON!!! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!?!" Morgan wasn't taken aback by her attitude, but he joined right in.

"I'M MORGAN!! DO YOU LIKE HALO?!?"

"YEAH, I DO!!! DO YOU LIKE JELLY BEANS??"

"YES!!!! I LIKE THE CHERRY FLAVORD ONES!!!"

"ME TOO!!!!! WE'RE GOING TO BE BEST BUDDIES!!!!"

"WAIT!!!"

"WHAT???"

"WILL YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR???" Morgan asked nervously. Ruth seemed to contemplate this like she had just been asked out by the madman.

"Yes!!" she squealed again.

"Hurrah!!!!" Morgan yelled. They immediately went over to the fireplace and talked more quietly, while the rest of us were trying to figure out what just happened. Except for Torque, who's too stupid for that.

"OK. That was creepy…" he muttered.

"You got that right." Vincent said. If they both agreed, it must be true. Cameron was so scared, she curled back up.

"I concur," said a new voice. He was a copper penny-looking chameleon with violet eyes. He had a peachy-colored stomach and a white jacket with straps all over them. His black gloves also had straps. His white shoes matched his white pants, which were held up by a black belt. His age was hard to guess because he looked so mature. I guess Shadow had left and got him, too.

"And who are you, pretty boy?" sneered Torque. The chameleon turned to him, face expressionless.

"Andrew Edwards. May I inquire you name?" _Now I'm gonna have to work twice as hard not to sound so stinkin' proper! Stupid Auditory skills._

"Torque, pretty boy," Torque replied. Andrew ignored him and went to Cameron, who started to watch the exchange. She immediately curled up again, but he just sat beside her and said nothing. I turned and talked to Vincent, who was the only one not talking to anyone.

I actually heard the knock this time, and Shadow disappeared again. He came back with what I thought was another rabbit. He was light brown with yellow eyes. His white mouth and belly stood out, along with his rag-like gloves. His khaki pants had holes, along with his moccasins that matched his vest. He also had a brown leather belt. He might have been around 22.

"Howdy, ya'll!" he said real friendly-like, I mean, nicely. _These accents are too catchy. _I'm glad Morgan said my mistake aloud, though.

"Hey!! Are you like Ruth?" Ruth looked offended, and for a moment, I was confused.

"No, partner," the anthro said, looking offended himself. "I'm a hare. Can't you tell?" In case you do not understand our confusion, try telling the difference between two Asians. You only know the differences if you were born Asian, or if you spend enough time around them. When he noticed we couldn't, he rolled his eyes and explained. "Longer ears, legs, and where I'm from, less hair. So, we're just better."

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!!! EVERYBODY LOVES RABBITS!!" shouted Ruth.

"But can you out-jump me?"

"OH, GO BACK TO TEXAS, YOU FAKER!!" Shadow almost laughed at this comment, but I had no idea why.

"I win, but it's ok. We're still friends? Just had to protect my honor, y know." He stretched out his paw. Ruth looked at it for a second, and then she shook it. "My, you got one strong grip, Ruth. I'm Barney. Barney Faulkner." Vincent must have found him amusing, because he immediately went and started talking to him. _Just like high school, all alone again. Darn people skills. _

I almost gave up hope when another guest came with Shadow. She was a light blue echidna with hazel eyes. She had the same colored hair put into many small braids all over her head, with only a few pieces left out, which covered half of her face as if she wanted to hide. She had a coffee colored dress that had frills at the bottom. She had a white bow in the back, and she wore the traditional echidna footwear: strappy sandals. Her gold heart necklace stuck out. I went to her out of boredom.

"Hi, I'm Samantha. What's your name?" she smiled at me.

"Kelki Rodgers. This house is very well put together. He had to have had a designer. Nothing is out of place either. I can't wait to draw this!"

"Oh, I'm jealous. You probably draw well!"

"No, not really. I'll show you some of my art work later, if you want…"

"Sure I want to! You're lucky. I'll I can do well is read."

"Now I'm jealous!" she laughed. "I can't read well at all! I've always wanted to! People talk about books all the time, and I never understand what they talk about."

"I could read to you sometime. I have a really great book here with me!"

"Sounds cool!" We were interrupted from our conversation by an unearthly shriek.

"This make up case was about 200 dollars!!!! You better hope it's not broken!!" The diva came in and graced us with her horrid presence. I couldn't believe I recognized her. Sterling Johnson: Super Model for a lingerie company, socialite with a history of boy-toys, and one of the richest cats in the nation. Her light pink feline body, bright red eyes, and long black hair brought men like moths to a flame. She wore complete black. Black gloves, boots, mini-mini skirt, and black shirt (if you could call it that). It looked like someone took a knife to it. Her bright red lip stick contrasted with her white muzzle. I could tell right off the bat that I wasn't going to like her AT ALL. She sauntered in, and immediately Torque went to her.

"Hey, girl. You're lookin' fine." I wanted to throw up. _Wasn't he just with Carrie? _I looked to the white fox, but she didn't seem to mind. She almost looked relived. _That wouldn't make sense! _But her expression changed to one of delight and she too went to the new cat in town. Sterling seemed at ease with them. I continued my talk with Kelki when she pointed out something extremely important.

"I think we're all here." I looked around. There were supposed to be 11 of us. 1. Me and 2. Kelki. 3. Vincent, who was talking to 4. Barney. 5. Morgan was yelling about Splinter Cell with 6. Ruth. 7. Torque was flirting with 8. Sterling, while 9. Carrie looked on and said something every once in a while. 10. Andrew sat next to 11. Cameron, not saying a thing.

"You are correct, Kelki Rodgers." Shadow magically stood next to us. He called everyone's attention and continued. "Now that everyone has arrived, let us begin with the grand tour."

**YES!!! EXPLORING TIME!!! I can't wait! Uh. I'm exhausted. And if I got Texan accents all wrong, please forgive me. I'm not from Texas, ya see.** **I don't even know what my accent is!! With a Spanish speaking mom and a German dad, it's hard to tell. Anyways, tell me your thoughts on the different characters in your review. If you don't, I'll tell Torque that you called him the incredibly stupid Hulk!! **


	4. Secret Time: Special Powers Style

**SORRY. I know that this took a long time to finish. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT LIFE HAS BEEN LIKE, AND I DON'T WANNA EXPLAIN. Ok. Thanks for still reading…**

Chapter 4: Secret Time: Special Power Style

As we walked out of the 'waiting room', we fell in line like a school group on a field trip. Shadow led us and described what was in each of the rooms. He had virtually everything! There was an arcade room, a sauna, an indoor pool, a music room filled with instruments, multiple bathrooms that were huge, a theater for movies and one for plays, kitchen, dining hall, bowling alley, library and that was only the down stairs. He had 3 stories. Shadow said that the very top story and the basement were off limits. His quarters were the top level, but he never said was the basement contained. The downstairs had everything we would ever need, while the floor in-between the main floor and Shadow's rooms were our living quarters for the sojourn. Girls would occupy the west wing, while the boys got the east.

After the tour, we were supposed to have a late lunch in the dining hall. The table was made out of the same midnight wood, along with the chairs that had blood red cushions. The floor was made out of Brazilian walnut, a dark wood, and the walls were a golden color. _Like Shadow's bracelets. Kelki was wrong. Shadow designed every detail, I'm sure of it._ Kelki was having the time of her life. I could see her wide brown eyes soaking in every minute thing this place had to offer.

When the tour was finally over and lunch rolled around, we had a nice meal of salmon, asparagus, and a couple of other expensive delicacies I didn't want to eat. Kelki sat next to Shadow, who took his place at the head. Kelki was talking to him about something philosophical. Despite what I thought at first, Kelki was a very deep thinker. I sat next to Kelki and listened to Vincent talk about his life. Turns out, he wasn't really a good guy or a bad boy; he could fight both sides, and he has before. Anyways, Sterling sat to the right of Vincent, taking everything in with bored eyes. Torque sat next to her, still trying to flirt, _the perv. _Ruth sat on the other side of him, too scared to say anything. She wasn't as brave as Morgan, I guess.

To the left of Shadow sat poor Cameron, who was doing surprisingly well, considering that he was the most intimidating out of all of us. It might have been because she was distracted by Andrew. _I guess I missed something during the tour… they do look quite good together. _I smiled at this thought and continued down the line. Barney was actually talking to Rouge, which I found surprising. I really shouldn't have though: she's such a people person. She could act interested, even if she wasn't. To Rouge's left sat Carrie, who was trying to keep anything moderately sweet from Morgan. He was trying to talk to Ruth across the table, but it wasn't working. About midway in our mea, Ruth got tired of feeling oppressed and moved to the end across from Shadow. He didn't look like he minded, and Ruth finally go to talk to her heart's content.

When everyone was almost finished with their meal, Shadow stood up. Even though we were all talking loudly, he somehow commanded our attention while not saying a word.

"I would like to thank you all for coming to my wondrous mansion," he stated. "Right now, it is 1:45 p.m. You now have the opportunity to gather your belongings and take them to your rooms. As you all know, every room as its own bathroom, dresser, and bed, so make yourselves comfortable. In the morning, once you all gather here again for breakfast, the maids will clean the rooms, so I suggest that you do not leave personal belongings out. After you have finished situating yourselves, you may roam relatively free until our next meal. Be back here at this table at 7 o'clock. At 9 o'clock, I have planned a ball-" Every girl at the table couldn't help but interrupt him with a squeal of delight, while the guys seemed only a little more composed then the other gender. A select few let out a groan. _I'm a college student, for Heaven's sake! I didn't hardly own anything worthy to walk in this place, much less a gown I could wear to a ball!_ The others that groaned were Barney, Vincent, and Morgan. They probably didn't want to get into suits. Shadow regained order by merely raising his hand. It fell deathly quiet again. "Thank you. As you all should know, if you consider my front doors north, the ball room is in the southeastern section of the house. Now, you all are excused."

Like little children, we ran out the doors and up the stairs to our wings without even finishing the rest of our meal. I don't know what the guys decided, but we girls chose all of our rooms along the same hallway. Kelki, Ruth and I were on one side, while Sterling, Carrie, and Cameron were on the other. My room had black carpet and the walls were gold. My bed was covered with black sheets and had red pillows on it. The bathroom had gold walls with granite countertops and marble everywhere else. After I was situated, I was going to find Rouge and tell her my dress dilemma when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in!" I was expecting Kelki to burst in and tell me what she finally decided to draw, but to my surprise, it was Cameron.

"Hi," she said quietly. "Samantha, I have a question."

"Well, shoot!" She cringed at my voice. Guess I was too loud.

"W-W-Well… I-I-I'm not the r-r-r-richest in the world, and-and-"

"You don't have a dress for the ball?" She started her speech exactly as I was going to with Rouge. She was still amazed at me though. I explained, "Neither do I."

"Well," she replied sounding a lot more relieved, "what do we do?"

"I was going to ask Rouge that. Want to come?"

"Yes!" That little word was the loudest she had ever said all day. _She must really start to trust me. _I didn't know if I liked that or not. I didn't want to break her trust. If you trust easy, you break easy. I forced myself out of the morbid thoughts and went to find the only person that can possibly help our problem. Well, I'm sure Sterling brought fifty dresses, she had so many suitcases, but she would never get her hands dirty with 'commoners'. So, we went to Rouge.

We found her by the outside pool, lazily sitting in a lawn chair while sipping on a drink. All the guys were there, but they were too busy 'chicken fighting' to hear what our dilemma was. Rouge took it with good grace. Later, I thought too well.

"No problem, honey, I'll find you girls dresses!" She gave us a wink and flew back to the dressing rooms.

"That was easy," Cameron muttered. I shrugged and we turned to leave, but apparently the guys weren't too busy fighting because we were immediately splashed. Cameron and I did what girls normally do.

"EEEEEKKKKK!!!!!!" we shrieked together. I slowly turned around, and glared at boys. I was NOT happy. The males roared out laughter, and I looked at Cameron. Once she regained her composure, she was even madder then I was. Her blue eyes were icy cold, and her jaw was tight. Her hands were curled into fists, and her feet were spread apart. Even I was terrified of her wrath, and I wasn't in trouble. _Guess armadillos don't like water…_

"Do you know," she stated calmly, "how much… I HATE WATER!?!" she screamed the ending, and the guys laughed harder. "Fine." _Uh oh. _"I'll show you…" she raised her hands above her little head, and I knew that it was about to get bad. REAL. BAD. _But how do you calm a furious armadillo?_

"CAMERON!" yelled Andrew, who was defenseless in his black swimming trunks, "DON'T!" Then Cameron started to glow an eerie lime green. Her fingertips started to gather the… _WHAT ON MOBIUS IS IT?!?!_ I was terrified, but the only one who remained calm was Andrew.

Andrew hopped out of the pool and ran towards her. Her eyes started to shine the lime green, and her pupils were almost gone when he reached her. I had no idea what he was going to do, but I certainly didn't expect what happened.

He grabbed her, eerie stuff and all, and held her.

Cameron stood stalk still. _Either this is going to be really good or really, really, bad for Andrew… _

She slowly dimmed her light, and I could hear him whisper to her. All the guys jumped from the pool and edged around her. They were scared to death, and I would have chuckled, but I was also scared to death. Apparently Andrew had taken a course in 'Anger Management' or something.

Cameron fell into his arms and cried hard. Andrew led her towards me and handed her off to me. He was the only one who looked mildly calm. I nodded, and he left. I held her and stroked her armor, almost like a mother.

Once I calmed her down to a certain extent, I led her towards her room, put her on her bed, and left. Then I went to clear my head. _What have I just seen? _ I thought we were all going to die.

I went downstairs to the foyer and found the boys by the statue. I noticed Andrew wasn't there, but Shadow was listening intently to them tell their tale. Or trying to, at least.

"We just splashed her-"

"AND THEN SHE TRIED TO KILL US!"

"Calm down, cowboy-"

"What was it-"

"HONEY ICED TEA, I ALMOST GOT TO GO SIX FEET UNDER!!!!"

"Or cremated. That's also a possibility…"

I couldn't take it anymore… _men…_

"SSSHHHHUUUUTTTT UUUUUPPP!!!" All the guys that were at the swimming pool that almost 'went six feet under' swiveled and looked up, expecting another light show. I slowly walked over to Shadow and explained as calmly as I could. No one interrupted me.

"Well, since no one knows what the glow was, I suggest we talk to Cameron. I should have asked you all what your powers were. It was my mistake." He reached into his coat that he was still wearing and pulled out a watch. It was a pocket watch, but it looked extremely old. There were dings and dents in it, and when he popped it open, it squeaked. He glanced at it and snapped it shut. "Meet in the foyer upstairs in ten minutes. We are going to discuss our powers together."

"Like-Like- a secret time?" Mason asked. Shadow didn't turn around to answer him as he left.

"Well," I muttered, "let's get this over with…" I ran up the stairs, and the males followed me.

**

* * *

**

"Now," Shadow stated when we all finally gathered in the main upstairs room, "let us begin." We were in a pasty white room, but it had many pictures and couches, so it didn't seem too oppressive.

"Excuse me," Kelki interrupted, "uhh… what are we doing?"

"We are telling everyone our powers, if you have any," I said.

"Wait," Vincent asked, "do you have any?"

"We will find out when it is her turn, Mr. Dollens," Shadow answered for me, "Now, let us start with the one that brought us here. Cameron." She flinched at her name. "Explain what happed at the pool today." The other girls started whispering. They didn't know what had happened, because they weren't there, of course.

"W-w-w-well," she started. _How could someone who almost blasted us all out of the water (no pun intended) be so terrified now? _"I-i-i-i-i-"

"She has lightning powers," Andrew spared her, "She cannot control them well, and the only reason the rest of you are here is because I knew how to calm her. Be thankful."

"Hold on," I said, "If she had let the lightning off, would she have short-circuited or something? Ya know, like a computer." Cameron answered for herself this time.

"Yes. So from now on, don't splash me with liquid of any kind. I could kill myself and all of you." Andrew paled, if that was possible. He must not have been concerned with our safety. He was just concerned with hers.

"Now, Andrew," Shadow stated, "I know that saving people from lighting isn't the only thing you do."

"You are correct," he answered politely, "I am a chamilion-"

"No duh…" was Torque's reply to this new information. Then he howled in pain and shook his paw. A ninja star fell out of it and stuck up in his couch. I turned to Andrew, but he hadn't moved and inch.

"You are a fighter of extreme caliber," Shadow deduced, "and have been taught in the art of Ninjitsu." Andrew bowed slightly, I guess as a nod. "I will give an intelligent guess and say that you also can camouflage yourself anywhere…" Then Andrew flashed his invisibility as his assent. "Good. I wish to test your skills sometime." Shadow half smiled at him and pointed to the next person in the circle. "And you. Do you have powers, also?" Kilki smiled at him.

"Besides the usual communication with the Master Emerald, no."

"But you are stronger than other anthros…"

"Yes, but I'm weak for an echidna. Unless you count art as a power, then I'm not that special."

"I think communicating with the most powerful thing known to Mobius as a power."

"That's really the Guardian's job, though. I've never actually seen the thing. Every echidna can communicate with it, but only one has the privilege of actually doing in."

"I see…" Shadow thought on that and nodded to the next person.

"My power is nothing special…" Ruth started, "it's embarrassing, really… I don't even like it…" we all stared at her, and she looked back. She knew she wasn't going to get out of it, so she conceded. "OK, I can manipulate plants, but before you get too excited, it's only…" she closed her eyes, "Veggie plants."

We all sat dumbstruck. Then Barney laughed and started the whole chain of laughter. The idea was just funny: a rabbit controlling the thing it eats… By the time we had regained ourselves, we had shed many tears at her expense. Ruth was laughing, too, so it was all ok. Shadow merely chuckled during that time.

We continued to the next person: Carrie.

"All I do is see in the dark better than any other Mobians. It's almost like day time, but better."

"So you're nocturnal?" I asked.

"Correct, but I can function during the day. Nighttime is my specialty, though."

"Don't you kinda stick out with your fur?"

"It changed when I started to switch to daytime. It used to be a midnight black."

"Ah. Cool."

"Now that is settled…" Shadow interrupted, "How about you, Barney?"

"Me? I jump higher than any other hare. My record is 20 feet, but that was when I was 17."

"How old are you now?" Vincent asked.

"26 this August."

"What power do you have, Vincent?" I asked this time. It was sorta bothering me. I'm curious, what can I say?

"Uh, I bite." We all laughed again as he tried to explain, "No, I'm venomous. If I bite you, I'll probably kill you…" we continued to carry on until he said, "and the next one that laughs, I'll take a chunk from their arm." It stopped immediately and no one said a peep. "I'm glad you understand. Now…" he turned to Mason. "How bout you?"

"I have an unending supply of energy, so I don't even need to eat."

"No more sweets for you, then. Just get a withdraw from your 'bank' next time."

"BUT THEY ARE SOOO GOODDDDDD……"

"It's still a no, Mason. Sterling?"

"All the men grovel over me. What other power could I ask for?"

"I love you," Torque muttered. _Eeewwww….._

"Yes, I know."

"No, but…" Vincent interrupted the little love fest, "really?"

"Well, my claws are always sharp and they never break."

"Good to know. Does Mr. Love-Man have a power, too?"

"Shut it, Bat-Face," Vincent was getting red with anger, "I have super strength."

"How original," I replied.

"Well, you got something better?" Now my face turned red out of embarrassment. I had no powers, so what could I say? "Hmph. Thought not. Who's unoriginal now, huh?" he laughed at me, and Sterling joined him. I was a vivid crimson now. _Now everyone else is special but me… _

"Sam…" Kelki called to me, "it's ok. At least you don't have an embarrassing one."

"Thanks, Kelki," I muttered miserably. Shadow regarded me coldly. _Maybe I'm no longer good enough to him. _

"Samantha, powers are not everything-" He started, but I interrupted.

"So says the one with the most amazing powers of all."

"You have no idea what you are asking for," Shadow said with a hint of anger, "Every power has a disadvantage. Everyone wishes that they could cleanse themselves of it, and if they don't now, they will later. Sometimes powers keep you from what you need, want, and beg for. Other times, when other's find them amazing, they use you and manipulate you uncaringly." He stopped himself from talking further on the subject and turned to the others. "It is now 4:30, do as you wish until dinner at 7." Then he strode out of the room and back down stairs, leaving us dumbstruck.

THAT WAS LONG. IT PROBABLY WASN'T ANY GOOD, BUT DON'T BLAME ME FOR TRYING. NEXT CHAPTER, WE'LL HAVE THE BALL, THEN THE PLOT REALLY GETS GOING GOOD!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!! AH, I'M GONNA MISS SOME OF THESE CHARACTERS WHEN THEIR GONE… OH…. DID I JUST GIVE AWAY A PIECE OF THE PLOT???? WHOOPS. AND IF THERE ARE MISTAKES, I'LL FIX EM LATER.

_REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_


	5. Secret Time: Shadow Style

**UHHHHHHHHHHH… I AM SO SORRY! THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUT ON THE 28 OF MAY! I'm a horrible person. I have kept many of you in suspense, especially those of you who have reviewed and that I've talked to. My deepest and sincerest apologies go to you.**

** If you really want to see the dresses, or if my descriptions weren't good enough, I'll send you the g00gle addresses for them. I made the tuxes up form my head and a cool dress up thing at DEVIANTART. Anyway, have fun. (I like this chapter title. It makes me laugh.)**

**Chapter 5: Secrets- Shadow Style**

"There is no way on this green Mobius I am wearing that dress, Rouge!"

"Oh, honey," she replied to my outburst, "it'll be fine-"

"Fine! Do you see that slit in my dress! It's almost to my underwear!"

"That's why you wear a thong-"

"A WHAT!" I replied, dropping the deep purple dress in my hands that somehow I was supposed to wear.

"Look," Rouge picked up the horrible thing, "This dress is going to fit you marvelously. Have some faith in me, Sam! Now, go put it on!" She shoved me into the bathroom, and then threw the dress to me. I sighed. I guess I was going to have to wear it. I had nothing else to wear. Besides, I was just glad that I wasn't Cameron. She strikes me as a very conservative armadillo. Rouge picked out a white, backless dress. Needless to say, there was a LOT of stuttering there.

I WAS laughing until Rouge let my dress out of the bag. When I finished reminiscing, I finally had it on. It was a beautiful dress, but you would have to be confidant to wear it, which I wasn't. As already mentioned, I was going to wear a deep purple dress that hit the floor. It wasn't poufy like a prom slit went up my left leg quite a ways. The top of the gown hugged my torso. The straps came over my shoulders, down and around. It ended up connecting to the front of the dress. The back had a split from where the straps connected to the front. It seemed as if the bottom half of the dress was held up from where it connected to the front of my dress. So, all in all, it was a slit dress that was almost backless. _Lovely, _I thought sarcastically. I put on my white heels and gloves. Then I walked out of my bathroom back to Rouge. She had also changed into her gown.

"Well, how do I look?" she asked with a grin. She was gorgeous. I had to admit, she had a sense of style. Her dress was a light purple. Her slit was right between her legs, but hers wasn't as high as mine. The bottom of her dress looked like the top of it was sewn with some black sequin rope and it connected to the top half right above her belly button. There was also a sequin strap going around her torso that tied in the back and the front. Her straps to her V-neck traveled over her shoulders and crisscrossed in the back, coming back to that central point in the front. She wore some strappy black heels and long, light purple gloves.

"You. Look. AMAZING!" I squealed. Kelki popped in.

"You all look SOOOO cute!" she squeaked. She had a long white dress. The top half of her gown hugged her torso, while the bottom fanned out to the floor. The bottom looked like it was made out of multiple white feathers. I couldn't see her shoes. Her hair had bands and beads. She was wearing her normal gloves.

"You look good too, Kelki!" I replied.

"Well," Rouge said, "I have to help with some of the preparations. See you girls later." And with that, she waltzed out of the room. As she went out, Cameron came in.

"Guys, how am I going to wear this!" she asked franticly. Her white dress dragged a little on the floor, but the fabric was so light, it looked like she was floating. The top of her dress tied to the back of her neck, between her and the shell. It was completely backless, but it needed to be because of her shell. The torso flowed down and wasn't tight like ours. It was decorated with silver floral patterns. Her gloves were also decorated with the silver stitching.

"Cameron, you look awesome! Don't be scared." Kelki told her. Cameron blushed. Kelki gave her a smile and turned to me. "What time is it?" I checked the bedside clock.

"It's 8:40. We better head down there." So we all walked down as a group. We got to the foyer, and everyone else was already there. Andrew, Barney, and Vincent greeted us at the bottom of the stairs.

"It's a pleasure to see you this evening. May I borrow Cameron?" Andrew asked like a gentleman. Or a proper ninja, whichever one. He wore a black silk jacket that was tight around the collar, which was laced in golden thread. The buttons were made from gold rope and he had a golden dragon stitched up the right side. His cuffs were edged in gold. He had plain black pants and shoes. Needless to say, Cameron was blushing madly at his Asian attire. I couldn't tell if Andrew was blushing also, but he would have to be a rock if he wasn't somewhere in his seemingly stony soul. She nodded, and he escorted her to one of the benches.

"AAAAWWWWWWW….. THEY ARE SOOOOOOO CUTE!" Kelki gushed. Vincent rolled his eyes at her. He was wearing a white tux. Everything was spotless white except for his tie, which was a striking black. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not yours, is it?" he asked. I sighed.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, but you look really uncomfortable. RELAX." I tried, but it was hard. The slit was bothering me, but at least I could walk well. Some of the other girls would probably trip over their dresses.

"Well, partner," Barney interrupted, "she's lookin' good, nonetheless." He was wearing a forest green suit with a white shirt. He wasn't wearing a tie. He didn't look bad though.

"So do you," I replied to his compliment.

"Why, thank you. This ain't mine, either."

"Really?" Kelki said.

"Yes M'am."

"Yeah, I don't even own ANYTHING like this." Vincent said as he felt the rich fabric.

"Well," Kelki started, "how did you get your clothes?"

"Oh, Rouge got them," Barney said.

"What?" I asked incredulously, "she got mine, too! And Cameron's."

"Looks like she was one busy bat," Kelki deduced.

"Yeah…" I said. There was a long pause.

"Man, when is this going to start?" Vincent groaned

"AT 9:00, AND I CAN'T WAIT!" Morgan jumped in. Morgan was wearing crimson pants and shirt. He must have lost his jacket somewhere. He still managed to keep his black tie, but it was loose. The suit was probably his, but his groan from lunch was that he hated suits.

"Woah, Nelley," Barney tried to calm him down. Morgan was literally jumping up and down.

"I'll go help him," Kelki said. For some reason, she winked as she left. It left Vincent and I by ourselves.

"Huh. We're by ourselves…" Vincent trailed off. _Guys are so intelligent._

"Yep… it seems so…" _I guess girls are just as bad._

"Hey, poor boy, stop flirting with the pretty lady!" _Ohhhhhhh! Some days, I could kill people like Torque! _He only wore a midnight vest and pants. His silver tie contrasted his dull grey fur, but he looked down-right evil.

"Why don't you go grovel to Sterling?" was Vincent's red-faced reply. Torque just laughed at him.

"No, because I know I can have whatever girl I want." Torque chuckled and turned to me. "Hey, Beautiful, want first dance?" _I am going to kill Rouge for making me put on this dress. Now even TORQUE wants me._

I was about to make a smart remark that probably wasn't nice AT ALL when Vincent surprised me. I stared at him as he leapt in front of me and growled.

"Back off!" he snarled.

"Ohhhh…" Torque just kept grinning, "is she taken yet?" Vincent's face must have drooped, because Torque started showing his sharp canines as he smiled wider. "No? So let the lady answer."

"I already know her answer," Vincent sounded colder than Shadow. I was dumbstruck. No guy had ever done ANYTHING like this for me, and I was touched. "She'd tell you 'Back off, perv! This is one girl you can't have.' And you know it. Why did you bother asking?" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me away. He dragged me to one of the benches by the wall and sat down. I still couldn't get my mouth to work. We sat awkwardly for a while. It was probably a minute when he finally asked, "You would have said that, right?" I nodded my assent. "Do… do you want first dance with me?"

Oh, he looked so adorable. His emerald eyes were shining with hope as he drilled into my black ones. His wings, which poked out the back of his tux still, were spread in anticipation and he was holding my hand carefully. His ears were slightly drooped in fear, as if I would say no. In his excitement, he was leaning in intently. I smiled.

"Ok."

"Sweet!" He grabbed my hand again as he walked to Barney.

Torque was metaphorically licking his wounds in the corner next to Carrie. She was wearing a black strapless dress that fitted her curves until it was a little after her hips. It was gather in places at the bottom and it was puffy. The top was intricately decorated with white sequins and gems. She wore long black and white gloves. She semi-smiled at me as we went by.

"HAVE YOU SEEN MORGAN?" Ruth yelled into my ear. I didn't even see her hop up. She was wearing a dull red dress with spaghetti straps. It had a bow at the top and it was scrunched underneath it. At her hip bones, it layered down to the floor. She looked cute, but the dress either was old or it looked old. I didn't know if I liked it like that.

"Ya," Vincent replied for me, "he's right over here." We continued on our way to where Barney was. Something was wrong, though. He looked really depressed and Kelki was hugging his shoulders. Morgan was actually being quiet. "Hey, Barney, you ok?"

"No, not really, partner," he replied. He looked sullenly past us to where Carrie was. _What? _Vincent was ahead of me, probably because Barney had already told him. _These people fall in love fast._

"Don't worry, buddy, you'll get her." _Ohhhhh. _Vincent was right. Just then, Sterling walked down the steps. I guess she took longer than the rest of us to get ready. Her dress was a brighter red than Ruth's and it looked like a corset with the strings in the front. There was no fabric behind the strings, so you could see a line of her tan stomach. Her skirt part was at least 10 layers, alternating black and red. She wore long crimson gloves and her hair was pulled back. She looked like a contempt little slutty duchess. She probably felt like one, too, by her gaze down at us. Torque immediately drooled over to her. Carrie looked happy again. She must not like Torque. _But… why did she flirt with him before?_

Barney hopped up and went to her. Vincent looked happy as he grabbed my hand. I blushed madly. Kelki was smiling, too, and she looked genuinely happy for us. _It's not like anything's going on though… yet._

Shadow then came. He was dressed in a long black jacket that had strips of blood red on the sides. According to the few pictures that float around, those were actually were he's strips would be on his arms. His pants were black and he wore no shirt or tie. His usual shoes and gloves were on. He looked as emotionless as ever. He looked around as the talk died down.

"I am glad you all are here now," he stated, "You may follow me to the Ball Room." The clicks of heels and dress shoes echoed across the floor as we followed in silence. We walked into a massive ballroom. It reminded me of 'Beauty and the Beast', but better. There were no paintings on the ceiling, just intricate golden carvings. The windows were uncovered, so you could see the beautiful garden all around. The room was a circle, and to the right was a band. To the left there were refreshment tables and chairs. "If you all have your partners for the first dance, we shall begin." As we all paired up, I looked around at the partners. It was Vincent and I, Torque and Sterling, Cameron and Andrew, Ruth and Mason, Carrie and Barney, Kelki and… OH NO! She had no partner. I felt horrible.

Shadow immediately walked to her and bowed. "Would you like the first dance?" I was breathless. Kelki looked about the same as me.

"But… What about Rouge?" Shadow chuckled.

"She is busy at the moment, but she says that I'm not her 'type' of dance partner."

"Uh… OK," she whispered. Shadow led her out on the floor by her hand. We all followed and spread out. I gave a thumbs up to Kelki and she gave a half smile back. As the first song started, we all bowed and curtsied to our partner and took hands.

Surprisingly, I'm a good dancer, so it wasn't hard to do a simple waltz. Vincent was also good at it, and we gracefully twirled around the floor. His hand felt good on my hip. It wasn't in an awkward spot at all. We never said a word. I didn't feel a need to.

As we spun, I looked at the other couples. Cameron and Andrew were doing fine, considering that Cameron was on his feet as they danced. Carrie and Barney seemed a little awkward, but ok. They could both dance, but Carrie seemed preoccupied. I looked to Torque and Sterling. Sterling's dress also had the lacing in the back, too, which I couldn't see before. They were practically on top of each other as they danced. I got a little sick and looked to the next couple. Ruth and Morgan didn't know how to waltz, so they improvised. I didn't know what they were doing, but they were laughing and having fun, unlike Kelki and Shadow. Kelki looked dead nervous and Shadow was (_guess what?) _completely emotionless. Kelki looked at me and I gave her a motion to smile.

We danced until the song ended. As it finished, I stepped back and clapped for the band like everyone else. Vincent looked at me with shining eyes.

"You dance well," he complimented.

"You, too," was my preoccupied reply. I watched Kelki as she moved to one of the walls and sat down in a seat. She looked exhausted, probably from fear. Shadow was (_guess what?)_ emotionless. Kelki needed someone she knew to dance with, not a stranger, and certainly not someone like Shadow. He was way too intimidating. She needed someone like…

I took a look at Vincent. Perfect!

"Vincent," I started.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Kelki needs someone to dance with… and-"

"Oh, I get it. Sure, I can do that." He didn't look very excited, but he went to her anyway. I couldn't hear them, but he bowed to her and she curtsied. They walked back on to the ball room floor as the next song was about to begin. Andrew had asked a blushing Cameron again, and Torque had asked Sterling. Morgan was with Carrie this time, so Barney asked me in his cowboy-like fashion. Turns out, the whole reason we were mixed up was because Shadow had Ruth.

The song began, and it was a waltz, but faster than the previous one. Cameron did the same thing as last time with Andrew. Torque was rubbing his fingers in the lace gaps on Sterling's back as he spun. She was practically purring. Carrie had the art to calm Morgan down, so they were actually waltzing.

The funniest one of all was Ruth and Shadow. She was dragging him all over the dance floor, doing crazy dance moves that I had never seen before, while Shadow was trying to figure it out. Ruth was giggling like mad, but Shadow was just trying to keep up! He must have gotten frustrated, so he turned on his shoes. THEY WERE AWESOME! They had the same kind of jets as my hover-board, but now he could just glide as she twirled him everywhere. Well, I guess saying they were like my hover-board would be an insult to them. I looked closer at the jet skates. They were mostly white with black and red decals. It looked like it was fabric, and the bottom clicked like metal. The red metal bottoms were two pieces with fabric connecting them so he could walk normally. I thought the jets activated by jumping or something, but he could turn them on and off without that and he didn't have any code words. I was nonplussed.

It ended and we clapped. Shadow looked relieved. I took a seat and waited for Kelki as he walked over. She sat next to me and leaned in to my ear.

"Sam, Vincent's a good find-"

"What?"

"He likes you, Sam, he told me so!" _but… nothing happened during our dance…_ I didn't have time to wonder long when Cameron ran over.

"Oh, Samantha, he likes me! He really likes me! Lighting strikes and all!"

"Do you like him?" Kelki asked in anticipation.

"YES!" she squeaked. Then they jumped up and down just squeaking. I rolled my eyes and looked for the guys. They were all together a little ways away talking. I walked to them, assuming that they wouldn't also be hopeless romantics. No such luck.

"Hey," I said and they looked at me, "what's up?" Vincent started to blush. My back was to Andrew, but he turned me around and looked me straight in the eye.

"Now, Samantha, do not lie to me. Tell me: does Cameron have feelings for me, too?" Andrew said in a monotone voice. He's emotions were all pressed in, so I couldn't see a trace of nervousness on his features, but his eyes told the whole story. He was nervous and love-sick. _Awwww._

"By my honor, Andrew, she does." He nodded and walked away. Shadow stood in the center of the ball room.

"Now we will continue with the Tango. How many of you know how to do this dance?" he asked. Sterling, Torque, Kelki, Carrie, and Andrew raised their hands. "Those of you who do not know how, please pair with someone who does. If you do know how, you must pair with someone who does not. This dance shall be the practice round, and the next dance you will keep your partner, so choose wisely."

Andrew and Carrie's choices were relatively easy: Cameron and Barney. Kelki asked Vincent, who accepted because he couldn't be with me for this one. Sterling asked Morgan and Torque asked Ruth, probably afraid of rejection by me. Since everyone was paired, I figured I would sit this one out. Then Shadow walked over to me. _I-oh no- I don't know this dance! I don't know any of these Mobians well, least of all Shadow! If I mess up, I'll look like an idiot! Oh- what will I-_

"May I have these dances, Miss Rivers?" he bowed to me. No more time to think.

"Yes, Shadow, I would be delighted." I replied on instinct, not really because I wanted to. I curtsied as much as I could in my gown and accepted his hand. He took my other hand and led me to the center of the dance floor. At least my dress wouldn't be too horrible to Tango in. Carrie probably was going to have a time and a half because her dress didn't have a lot of free movement. _But I'm not an expert AT ALL on this subject! I'm soooooo going to fail at this…_

"Shadow," Kelki asked, "Which tango are we doing?"

"The Argentine." He replied. _Oh no. This must be complicated. There are different ones?_ I didn't have time to contemplate because the music began. It was a slow Latin Mobius sound. I looked to my partner as he let go of my hands. "Now, put your left hand on my shoulder. Good. Now, put your other hand here." He put his left hand at the level of he's shoulders. My right hand was shaking as a grasped his hand, but the light pressure from his grip made it stop. His right arm slid to the center of my back and I started to remember what the tango was known for.

I continued to learn the complicated dance from Shadow as he corrected me. I must admit it was awkward and fun at the same time. Awkward because I thought he was still mad at me from earlier, but fun because I wasn't really caring about the 'fight' earlier. Once we had the basic steps figured out, the band stopped the slow Latin Mobius music and started up the fast stuff.

"Ok," I said fearfully, "the bottom of my dress is going to get in the way-"

"Do not think about it," Shadow whispered, "it will be fine the way it is. I have taught you the steps, but now we improvise as the song goes."

"Improvise?" I whispered/yelled back, "I just learned this! We can't improvise!"

"Do what your body tells you." I looked at him skeptically and shrugged. Then we began and I suddenly understood.

I… I can't explain what happened. When I was with Vincent, I felt no need to really do anything other than dance. I didn't feel like I needed to get closer, to get as close as possible. I didn't think the touch of his leg to my bear left leg would send me for a twirl. I hate being controlled, but when Shadow forced my body different ways, I was glad. I was happy to bend to him and during the dance, I craved his touch. As if his hand directly on the non-fabricated part of my back wasn't enough. I stared into his eyes the whole time, but never once did they change. It became a secret game: see who would show what they felt first. That's how I thought of it. Maybe he felt nothing, but I tried to keep my poker face as long as possible, and I was doing as well as Shadow until-

"I am sorry," he said suddenly. I slowed down my dancing to try to understand what he was talking about. As confusion came to my face, he explained, "I am sorry for becoming angry at the 'meeting' earlier." I relaxed.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start that. It's hard to be the only non-special one."

"Yes, but it was wrong of me to speak angrily."

"And it was wrong of me to react like I did. Like someone I know said, 'Powers are not everything'" I replied with a grin.

"Touché, you win," he half smiled. Right as he said that, the song finished.

The rest of the ball went smoothly. Rouge came back and danced with us, too. Shadow danced with every girl and then he took a break. Mostly, I danced with Vincent and Barney.

I was laughing with Kelki around 11:30 when I experienced real fear for the first time in my life.

Shadow went to the miniature stage with the band and stood before the microphone. As before, everyone stopped speaking and paid attention. He began with a simple but terrifying statement.

"When the clock strikes 12, we shall begin a game." He said with an evil smile.

"What kind of game?" Morgan interrupted with excitement. Shadow chuckled at his enthusiasm and continued.

"Oh, Morgan, this game will not be one you will enjoy." I felt like every thought I had of Shadow fell like the chandelier on the ceiling and shattered into a million pieces. "As of tomorrow, there will be eleven days left. There are eleven guests. Every day, a guest will lose. The guest who wins will receive a special prize beyond their wildest dreams."

"Well," Sterling said, "sounds easy. How does one lose?"

"They disappear." Everyone else expected something to go along with that statement, but I had an epiphany. I felt weak and started to fall.

"Sam?" Vincent cried. He caught me and sat me on the ground. Shadow looked at me and smiled.

"I think Samantha Rivers understands what I mean. Go ahead, Samantha," he laughed evilly, "Tell them!" I got choked up. _No, no this isn't happening…_

"Sam, what is he talking about?" Andrew asked. I locked eyes with him and his pupils dilated.

"Ah, and another one understands. This is fascinating." Shadow said.

"I refuse to play!" Andrew yelled, "and so does Cameron!"

"Andrew, what is going on?" Cameron asked through teary eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" I shrieked, regaining my strength. "We disappear forever! Never to be seen again! Ten of us are going to DIE in this mansion!" There was an uproar of screams, tears, and I think Mason cried for his mom. Vincent held me tight and Kelki kneeled down and fell in my lap sobbing. I was still shocked. I looked to Shadow whose stoic face was cracked sickeningly into a grin. I was filled with anger at him. "Why bring us here just to kill most of us?" I yelled to him.

"Get to bed, everyone. Tomorrow will be… a fun day." Was all he answered as he left us to our turmoil.

_OH MY LANTA, NOW THAT'S SCARY. I WOULD NOT BE A HAPPY CAMPER THERE. I THOUGHT IT WOULD ADD A DIFFERENT DYNAMIC TO THE STORY IF EVERYONE KNEW AHEAD OF TIME. SORRY IF YOU EXPECTED MORE EPIC DANCING. UNLIKE SAM, I'M AWFUL AT DANCING AND CAN'T DO IT TO SAVE MY LIFE. I JUST WANTED TO GET THIS CHAPTER DONE SO I CAN MOVE ON. I CAN'T WAIT TILL THE NEXT CHAPTER. THANKS TO ALL OF MY VIEWERS WHO STILL CARE ABOUT THIS. YOU KEEP ME GOING! NOW…. REVIEW OR YOU WILL MAGICLY END UP IN THIS MANSION TOO. REVIEW EVEN IF YOU HATE IT. PLEASE?_


	6. EPIC FAIL

**(Authoress beats head against nearest brick wall) HIS-NAME-IS-NOT-MASON! Uhhhh… I cannot believe that happened. If you see 'Mason', it's 'Morgan', ok? I did that last chapter too, but I fixed it. In Aurorawolfa's story, his name was Mason, so that's how I got confused… I guess… I also noticed that some of the exclamation points and stuff like that didn't transfer. Ah well. Sorry.**

**Well… we are now to chapter 6. I hope the regulars like this as much as last chapter. Before we start, I would like to thank Aurorawolfa again for the plot, but also Falcon's Hyperdrive and Deception is Decepticon for their continuing support. Anyway, you read, you review, right?**

Chapter 6: EPIC FAIL

"This is a dream, and it's not happening. It's a dream. A weird, very lifelike dream…" Vincent trailed off.

You know, usually the crying and sobbing and screaming come after the denial in situations like this, but when we all met in the main upstairs room after we had changed, denial swag in full force. It might have been because we were all tired, but it was really… strange for a while. Few in the group were with the program.

"Vince," Andrew said, "It's not a dream, but we defiantly aren't all going to die here."

"You're absolutely right, Andrew," Sterling stated. We all looked up from our stupor to her. She was sitting on the recliner in long midnight satin pajamas, calmly doing her claws. "I'm going to survive…" she retracted them in and out while confidently staring back at us, "Now, you all aren't going to make it, but feel safe that I will." She showed her feline teeth in her smile.

"No!" Torque yelled at her, wiping of her wicked grin, "I will!" She smirked at him.

"Really, now? What will get you through? Your smarts?" she asked incredulously.

"STOP!" Vincent cried. Now we turned to him. "Just…" his face fell. "Stop."

"Well," Kelki managed to whisper, "what are we going to do?" I looked down. My light blue bed shorts shimmered at me happily, making me sick. All that went through my head: _The last thing I told my brother was 'I hate you.' _A tear slipped out of my eye and landed on my shorts, making a sad blue. _Only because he practiced using his telekinesis throw on my radio. What a stupid thing to do, but so typical of him… I can't believe I told him that… so typical of me…_ A waterfall slid out of my black eyes as I closed them in hatred at myself.

"I'll tell you what we are going to do!" Barney called me out of my self-pity, "We gotta fight Shadow!" I was about to second that when Morgan put a damper on the plan.

"No…"Morgan moaned. "We can't. That would be suicide." He hadn't changed, but his clothes were rumpled from his nervousness.

"But what choice do we have?" Carrie asked despondently.

"You don't understand…" Morgan was deadly serious, which scared me more than anything else yet. "I looked up everything there was about Shadow before we came because I'm a geek like that. He is not someone we could take on and win."

"Why?" Andrew asked him.

"Well…" Morgan shifted under our gaze, "I'll give you five reasons." He lifted his gloved hand. "One," he counted off, "he is immortal. Two, he has a Chaos Emerald-"

"How do you know that?" Sterling had a glitter in her eye. Maybe it was greed…

"I feel it." Kelki stated, "He's right. But how did you know?" she looked at Morgan.

"He was formally given one after the Black Arms for his service to Mobius. Anyway," Morgan continued, "three, he knows how to use it to his advantage. If I just stopped there, it would be enough, but you also have four: he is a master at weaponry and hand-to-hand combat, and five: those fancy shoes he wears? Those can break the sound barrier. We couldn't beat him, no matter how lucky we were." Quietly, we digested this information about our newfound enemy.

"Well, crack out plan 2.0,"Barney rubbed his hands together, "We'll just all have to survive 12 days…"

"But…" Cameron said hesitantly, "Shadow said-"

"What Shadow said don't matter." Barney met all of our eyes, "We are going to make a survival plan. Shadow told us that one person vanishes ever day starting tommorra'. All we have to do is pair up. As long as we stick together…" he folded his hands together and locked them, "we will all make it to the end. We'll come back here every hour and report in. That way, we'll still have fun here and not die!" Barney was grinning from ear to ear.

"That didn't work for the 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' characters…" Ruth said in a sing-songy voice. We all looked at her in confusion and ignored her. She was half-asleep anyway.

"Who will pair up with whom?" Andrew asked, holding Cameron's shaking hand in both of his.

"I don't know… the easiest and most convenient for everyone would be girls with girls and guys with guys."

"No! I will be with Cameron!" he said fiercely.

"I'm going to be fine, Andrew," Cameron soothed him.

"I'll have her with me," Kelki volunteered. I looked up to her and then at Andrew. He wasn't hiding his feelings this time. He was NOT HAPPY with this plan, but it WAS easier to do girls with girls and guys with guys.

"We gotta remember that there are 11 of us." Vincent called out, "Who's gonna take the extra guy?"

"Well, why don't you and Barney take Morgan?" I suggested. Vincent thought about it and nodded.

After a while, we were all paired up. Ruth and I were a pair, then it was Kelki and Cameron, Sterling and Carrie, Barney, Vincent and Morgan were together, with Andrew and Torque last.

With this figured out, the moral of our group had strengthened. We accepted the position we were in, and found a sure-fire way around it. I still had misgivings, but we had a plan. What could an immortal, Chaos-wielding freak do against a PLAN?

I realized later that the answer was 'a WHOLE lot'.

We didn't think Shadow would 'take us out' in our sleep because that wouldn't be 'any fun' for him, so we slept in our normal rooms. I was exhausted, partially because I didn't get enough sleep the night before and because all my adrenaline was gone, so I hopped into bed and was about to sleep when I saw my boots.

I sat up and stared at them. My hover-board was still hidden in them! The cogs in my tired brain started to turn and I formed a plan for myself. It included one word: ESCAPE. I quickly got dressed as I stared at my blessing, and then slipped them on. I turned to the clock.

12:42. It was dangerous now. I could disappear. My heart pounded fast as I tied my laces, realizing I might not come back. _I have to try. If I get out, I could get help!_ This strengthened my resolve as I stood and went to the window. I highly doubted Shadow was patrolling the stairs, but one could never be too careful. My window faced towards the backyard which I counted a blessing. I hopped up on the window sill and breathed deeply. I knew I could do the jump from here to the ground with my hover-board, I just didn't know how quietly.

The wind whipped some of my crimson quills in my face as I gathered my courage and jumped. Mid-fall, I whispered "Dark Skate" and I landed safely and quietly, like I hoped. I took another deep breath to calm my racing heart, and then I deactivated my board. I walked around the side of the house, ducking under windows and behind bushes. I accidently ran through a rose bush on my way, getting the thorns stuck into my skin, but I didn't really notice. I finally got to the corner and peaked around to the gate. It was illuminated in an eerie glow from the lamps, but even from the distance, I could tell it wasn't opened and probably locked.

I sighed in disappointment, but I wasn't giving up. I walked around in the backyard for what had to be hours until I found it.

"Perfect…" I grinned. There were two hills, one higher than the other next to the fence that surrounded the house on all sides. I went to the second hill, which I 'guestimated' was about 30 feet away. I ran to the top of it and looked at the other hill. I couldn't believe my luck. It was perfectly lined up with the one I was on and the fence AND there were no trees in the way. It was a nature-made ramp! I almost screamed for joy, but I didn't want to get caught so close to my escape. All I had to do was get enough speed and jump the fence, then I was home-free.

The idea was exhilarating. I could taste it. I never knew how constricted I felt until I was almost to freedom.

"Dark Skate, don't fail me." I said as I folded out again, and I zoomed to the other hill. I went over it and down the side to gather more speed. When I was about a football field away, I forced my board to whip around and go as fast as it could go back to the top of the ramp. I only got one shot, and I would rather go way over and hit one of the trees on the other side then to fall short and hit the intricate spikes on the top of the fence. I shoved the gruesome image out of my mind as I went over the first hill. I lost a little speed, but when I went down the other side I gathered twice as much. "Yes!" I breathed as I was almost to the bottom of the hill. _I'm gonna make it! I'm gonna-_

"CHAOS SPEAR!" _Shadow! _I looked towards the noise, but all I saw was yellow… spears… coming towards me. I was so scared and tired, I couldn't swerve out of the way. My board took the damage, causing me to slow down drastically.

"NONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed. I tried to stop, but the thing must have hit the brakes. And the steering… and whatever control I needed. I couldn't stop myself and was in no condition to think. My mind froze as I went over the jumping hill and flew. I couldn't do a thing as I saw, to my utter terror, I was going to hit the top of the spikes.

"NOOOOOOO!" I heard. I would have been angry at Shadow if I wasn't trying to save my life. Before I hit, I stretched out my arms in a failed attempt to avoid the fence, but it was no use. There was a sickening slice and rip as I went into one.

"AHHHHHGGGGG!" _PainPainPainPain… _I looked down at myself. One of Shadow's fence spikes had gone straight into my gut and probably out the other side. I was still held up by my arms. I was in a mindless pain and couldn't think straight. I stared off into the night below me until I squeezed my eyes shut to clear them from tears. I grasped onto the bar that ran horizontally with all my might.

I felt something come under me, and then I was aware of a distinct pulling feeling. I squeezed my eyes shut as I cried in pain. I was forced to break my grip on the fence.

"Shhhhh… Shhhh… I'm sorry," said a deep voice. Somehow, I knew I was falling, and then I blacked out.

_mmmm… Heaven's comfortable… Wait… _Then I became aware of more distinct feelings. Softness, a light touch, a lifting off my stomach, a-

"AHHH! AHHHH! AHHH…" _defiantly NOT heaven._ Something touched my stomach, causing me to shoot up in pain, which caused me more pain. I fell back with MORE pain. Now, I was fully awake and looked at my surroundings. I was back in my room. It was an odd feeling: I thought I was dead and then I was awakening back in the nightmare. I moaned in disappointment.

"Honey, you are now in the running for the bravest and stupidest hedgehog to ever grace Mobius."

"Hey, Rouge." I said sullenly. She was in her usual day outfit, but she had a rag in her hand. That must have been what touched me and caused me to sit up.

I still wasn't happy with her. I was sure she was in on 'the game', so I didn't want to talk to her at all. There was no way she could be innocent in all of it. She read me like a book.

"Now, don't be mad at me. I'm not going to disappear, but I'm not really part of Shadow's… thing… anyway."

"… ow."

"Well, you don't have to believe me," Rouge huffed and stood. "I'll just leave your wound infected and then you'll be sorry." She started to leave, but I didn't really have a choice. I didn't want an infection on my hands. _Or stomach, for that matter... this is blackmail, though._

"Fine, Rouge..." She stopped and turned to me. "I… I…" She raised an eyebrow and cracked a grin. "I'm sorry, and I… I forgive you." My forgiveness and apology felt like I had to pull it out.

"See, you can't be mad at a face like this forever! Neither can Shadow." She laughed, but I wasn't laughing with her. My face turned hard.

"Do NOT talk to me about HIM." I stared at the ceiling. She was silent as she came back and started to clean my new wound carefully. Rouge searched my face as she cleaned away.

"You know, Sammy-Baby-"

"Don't start, Rouge!" Then I gave her an odd look. "Sammy-Baby?" She smiled and I laughed at the ridiculousness of the name, but my stomach cut me short. I decided to change the subject before she could try to talk me out of my hatred. "So, how bad am I?"

"Well," Rouge answered as she continued, "You didn't go through because of your arms, but you hit the spike at such an odd angle that it sorta weaseled it's way past any important organs. We had to give you blood because when you landed on it, you ripped some of your skin." I gave her a look that said 'I don't see what the rip has anything to do with it. I hit a SPIKE. Of course I lost blood'. "OK… let's say… I stabbed you with… This!" She held up a ball point pen. I shuddered at the thought, but let her continue. "Now, when you stab skin, it's sort of… spongy. It goes in, but if it stays in, you won't really have a lot of blood everywhere. That's why when someone gets something stuck in their skin, you should never pull it out. But when you landed, you also fell a little. The rip let out so much blood, you wouldn't believe it!"

"Try me." I said sarcastically. Rouge looked at me and continued.

"You bled so much that we had to use a continual transfusion of blood from Morgan, get a NINJA to fix you, and a little Chaos magic."

"Wait… so is Morgan dead?"

"No. Turns out that the unlimited energy supply has something to do with his blood. He never runs out of it, either."

"I'm thankful for that!"

"Yes, and you should also be thankful for Shadow."

"SHADOW? Uhh… can't yell…"

"How come when I say something that's true, you react so violently?" she looked at me with mock disappointment. "Yes, Shadow. He saved you!"

"Something tells me this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't…" I thought for a second, trying to remember the words. "Chaos… kabobed… my board. MY BOARD! Oww…" Rouge looked uncomfortable suddenly.

"About that…" I gave her a stony glace as she continued. "It's totaled, Samantha…"

I could have cried because my day was so horrible. My gut, my pride, and now my board. I turned my head away in case I did let a couple of tears fall for my longtime friend. I looked at the clock. 9:30 spoke to me and said 'breakfast'.

"Is everyone downstairs?" I asked Rouge.

"Yep."

"Has… Has anyone…" I couldn't ask. Rouge read my mind again. _She's good at that… too good._

"No, everyone's still here." I sighed in relief as she proceeded to cover my wound. When she finished, I gingerly went downstairs.

_WELL, I DON'T REALLY LIKE THIS CHAPTER, BUT OH WELL... OH MAN, THAT WOULD HURT. OK, FALCON'S HYPERDRIVE SAID THAT THIS REMINDED HIM/HER (which reminds me to ask them that sometime) OF AN EVIL CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. IT MADE ME LAUGH, SO THAT'S WERE RUTH'S LINE CAME FROM. OK, I HAVE AN ASSIGNMENT! THINK OF SOMETHING YOU WOULD DO IF YOU WERE EVER STUCK IN THE SAME SITUATION AS OUR POOR CHARACTERS ARE! TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEW, AND I'LL PROBABLY PUT IT INTO THE STORY SOMEWHERE. WELL, _**REVIEW**_!_


	7. Mixed Reviews

**I AM SO SORRY. SORRY. I HAD THE WORST WRITER'S BLOCK EVER ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH AND I REALLY COULD NOT WRITE. So, to appease the crowd, I have uploaded not one, but two chapters in short succession! Chapter 9 is almost done, but I couldn't wait to upload these! **

Chapter 7: Mixed Reviews

As I went down the spiral in my normal clothes, I started to notice how much we use our abs. Every step sent a shot of pain that seemed to reach every nerve in my furry body. I gingerly held my wound until I reached the bottom. As I pushed open the doors to the dining hall, I let a moan escape, silencing the room. I looked up to see the table the same way it was before, with Shadow at the head and everyone in their regular seats. Breakfast was already served.

"SAM!" Kelki and Vincent cried at the same time. They pushed out their chairs and ran to me. I immediately went into the defensive as they were about to hug me.

"I have a hole in my abs, so no glomping!" I laughed, trying not to sound as bad as I felt. Kelki took my hands.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," she said, "you looked rough last night." I was going to reply until I was cut off by Sterling.

"Why did you try to escape without us?" She accused me. She jumped up, her claws spread. I was taken aback, and then her words sunk into me. I clenched my hands, which Kelki still had. She yelped in pain, but I ignored her.

"Without you?" I asked incredulously, "How many Mobians do you think can fit on to one board?"

"But you were going to leave us, weren't you?" Torque joined in.

"No, I-"

"Then why did you not tell us?" Andrew interrupted nonchalantly. Cameron rebuked him quietly. My gaze shot to him, but I wasn't angry at him. _I have no bone to pick with him_.

"I didn't have time when I thought of it. Besides, I was going to go get help!"

"Right, Samantha," Sterling rolled her eyes at me, fueling my hatred because of her doubt and self-righteousness. "You were leaving without us! Admit it! Getting help NEVER CROSSED YOUR MIND."

"SHUT UP!" I was glaring daggers at her, "I WAS getting help! That's all I thought of, even as the fence went through me! HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME! What exactly did you do?" I stomped right up to her sneering face, "All you have EVER done since you've arrived is complain-" I jabbed my finger at Sterling as I shot my insults at her, "whine-throw fits- and demean us all! To tell you the truth," I put my face right in hers as I uttered my last sentence, "you are nothing more than a low-down, ditzy, slutty-"

"Enough!" Barney yelled, but unfortunately, not fast enough.

"AHHHGGG!" Sterling groaned in effort as she brought her ever-sharp claws across my gut. I blocked the first hand with both of mine, but she grabbed my wrists in one paw as she cut across with her other. I screamed as I felt the fire again and the blood spilled out of my reopened wound. I pressed my palm onto it so I didn't get it on the dark hardwood, but I failed miserably. Kelki leapt to me in an effort to help, but also failed miserably. Meanwhile, Vincent charged Sterling, but Torque was on him in a second. Everyone else just joined the chaos including Morgan and Ruth, who were running in circles in their panic or craziness.

My gaze turned to Shadow, but he only continued with his breakfast, seemingly unaware of the battle around him. He made my blood boil because of his indifference.

"So I'm dying again, and you don't care." I whispered, because it was all I could manage. "Then why save me the first time?" To my utter amazement, his head swiveled to me, catching my coal eyes with his amazing ruby. No emotion passed over his face, and I felt time stop.

No, I'm not kidding, time stopped. Literally.

The dining room went silent, and everything was still. It was like I was in some freaky picture. Or maybe I was in a doll house with plastic Barbies gone mad. I looked to Kelki, who still had me in her arms. I slid out from her as one would wiggle out of a hoop. As I stared at Shadow again, I thought for a second he was also stuck in time. His voice startled me.

"How does Chaos Control feel?" he smirked at me. I tore my eyes away to examine my wound. The blood had stopped flowing down. I lifted my shirt and moved the gauze away to get a better look. It seemed that my soul data was covering the tear in my flesh like a liquid-y cork. I poked it a little, but it wasn't budging, but it did hurt with each poke. My eyes widened as another realization was upon me. I held my fingers to my neck to check for a pulse. There wasn't one. Fear consumed me.

"AM I A ZOMBIE NOW?" I panted, also realizing it didn't hurt to yell, "There's no way this is happening! It's not possible, is it? It can't be! "

"How is it a dream if your wound caused you earlier pain? Just accept it, Miss Rivers: I am more powerful then you and your-" he paused, looking for the right word, "friends… ever imagined." He stood. I was still gaping at him when I was startled yet again.

"You are using your powers flippantly. I feel insulted that you have learned nothing from my craft." I whipped around to find a chameleon. He was a purple color with a golden spike stretching from his face. His eyes matched his horn in hue, while his boots and gloves were dark purple, black, and white. He showed no emotion as he looked at Shadow, but the latter rolled his eyes at him and ignored his comment.

"Espio, meet Samantha Rivers. She is the one from last night who felt the need to practice her boarding at 2 am with disastrous results." Fear and anger are so similar that I had no trouble switching between the two.

"'Disastrous'?" I mimicked, "If you hadn't sliced my board into chop sue, I'd have been fine!"

"If you had accepted the fact that you are trapped here, I would have spared your board from its demise."

"Yeah, well… I never accept defeat." I stuck my tongue at him childishly when something occurred to me. "Why didn't you just… Chaos Control?"

"I did not think you would be so hard to stop. My apologies to doubting your gift of self harm." He chuckled humorlessly. Espio grabbed my attention before I could say anything terribly awful.

"Don't bother arguing with him. He never listens." I laughed as he continued, "Now, I have something for you. I didn't get to do it last night because I left it with Vector, but I can do it now." He walked to me with a raised hand. I looked at him curiously when I felt all the blood left in me drain out of my face (whatever was left of it, anyway).

"Naw ah, no, nope, not happening!" I yelped, backing away. The curiosity was turned to me. Espio was stunned.

"What?" he looked at his hand. "It's just a shot to heal your wound. It will heal it completely. We use this all the time."

"JUST A SHOT?" I squealed. I felt so weak as Shadow's eyes sparkled in… _something_. "It's NEVER just a SHOT. It's a NEEDLE! And a BIG one!" I felt my panic rising. _My nerves are too frayed for this!_

"Scared, Samantha?" Shadow asked mirthlessly_._ I walked slowly, trying to get my back to the door. He knew my plan, and he walked carefully to the doors and shut them with an ominous click. He looked at Espio, and Espio cracked into a smile which disappeared almost immediately, but I saw it. They walked to me with stoic faces. I felt my eyes widen and my throat felt clogged with my rising terror, knowing their plan.

I ran away to the corner, trying to find an open window.

"Now, now, Samantha," Shadow said with an evil smile etched on his face, "if you give up whatever you're doing, I can do some Chaos magic so you never know it happened!"

"NO!" I shrieked, "It won't change the fact that it would be IN ME, shooting a foreign liquid into my veins! I would know!" I found no escape. "Besides," I laughed nervously as the continued walking to me, "I don't give up…"

"Shadow, this is evil. Can't you knock her out? Look at her, she's about to die of terror!"

"Have you been around Vector and Charmy lately? You are using conjunctions." I looked at them with disbelieve, anger and fear. They were having a normal conversation as they were sending me to my doom.

"I'm sor-… I am sorry. I had to pick up the medicine, and Charmy wanted to play some Monopoly. Did you know that game can last 5 hours?"

"No. Besides, I have never played it." Upon finding no open windows, I contemplated my next move.

"You have NOT missed out. Anyway, you didn't answer my first question."

"What? Oh no, she's been too much of a pain. I enjoy this. Besides, if she dies, it is one less."

"You just used one."

"One what?"

"Conjunction."

"Oh, my apologizes. I have been spending too much time with these furries." Shadow pointed around to my other frozen comrades as he still advanced.

"WHAT ON MOBIUS ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?" I scurried to the other side of the table, blocking them both off from me. "How can you be so calm when you're about to kill me?"

"See, she is too much of a pain."

"Really, Shadow, she is not all that bad."

"Then why did you save me?" Shadow shrugged.

"You were not a massive pain at the time." I would have scowled if I wasn't about to be killed by a needle, if it wasn't about to break my skin in a sickening way, if it wasn't about to-

My eyes shifted from them both as they took separate paths around the table.

"YOU WON'T TAKE ME ALIVE!" I screeched my battle cry as I ran as fast as I could to the door at the end of the hall. I was almost there, dodging my frozen friends and enemies, when suddenly Shadow was standing in front of the door with a boom.

I squeaked as I tried to stop from my full tilt, but I ended up in his arms. I realized what this meant, and I struggled with all my might. I freed a fist and I sent it straight for his face without realizing what I was doing. He caught my left hand in his left massive one, and fury echoed from his eyes.

A needle had never looked so insignificant.

He immediately turned stoic again as he held my hand tighter than before. He twirled me around, and my arms ended up crossed over my chest in helplessness. He planted one of he's knees in my back so that escape was impossible. My latter terror dissipated as Espio speed walked to me. I screamed, kicked, struggled, and anything else I could do to escape, but Shadow had me tied. I sent a foot for Espio's midsection, but he caught it neatly in his hand. He stretched forward, plunging the needle into my stomach and quickly shooting the medicine into me.

I started bawling, going limp in Shadow's arms. He lowered me to the ground, keeping me tied. Espio started checking me for signs of shock, but I wasn't that far over the edge… _right?_

"I'll give you this, kid," he said, standing up, "you put up a fight." Shadow released me, and I immediately checked the new hole in my gut. It was small, like all shots, but it sent a new wave of panic and nausea in me. Shadow also stood from behind me, bringing out a HUGE green rock. It sparkled on its own in his hand. I stared in awe, immediately feeling more peaceful with it around. My tears dried and I returned to normal, somehow.

"Feeling better?" Shadow asked. I nodded numbly, not taking my eyes from the jewel. "Good."

Suddenly, it sent out a bright light, and time started again. Kelki screamed when I wasn't in her arms, somehow silencing everyone else. Shadow broke the quiet, like always.

"Now that I have your undivided attention, I would like you all to meet our resident fighting expert, Espio." The expert bowed. "If you wish, he can train you during your stay. I hope you all remember where the Dojo is. Lunch will be served at 12 sharp." He turned on his heel and waltzed out, Espio following.

I KNOW THAT WAS SHORT, BUT THE NEXT CHAPTER WOULD HAVE MADE THIS ONE EXTREAMLY LONG. I HOPED YOU LIKED THAT RANDOM BIT OF ABSOLUTE SILLINESS. I'M TERRIFED OF SHOTS, SO THAT'S HOW I COULD WRITE THAT. THE SHOT THING IS MY THERORY ABOUT HOW THE SONIC CHARACTERS ALWAYS SEEM FINE AFTER HORRIBLE FIGHTS. REASONABLE, NO? REVIEW!


	8. Of Ninjas and Weapons

**Well, here's the second one that I promised. This one is my favorite because I like talking about all the weapons, and I'm a ninja girl. Why would you want a smelly pirate when you could have a totally cool and mysterious ninja? HERE WE GO!**

**Disclaimer: She forgets me for… what… 4 CHAPTERS… and doesn't even apologize? Fine… I QUIT!**

Chapter 8: Of Ninjas and Weapons

The rest of breakfast was uneventful. The tension was strong in our group. It was virtually Sterling against me, with everyone caught up in the turmoil. I couldn't imagine a worse breakfast, even with the good food. I never did well with quarrels.

My cut had stopped bleeding and miraculously had scarred over, but my clothes looked like I got stuck in a "Friday the Thirteenth" movie. After I had changed into a powder blue T-shirt and black shorts, I joined everyone in the foyer after I got a blood transfusion from Morgan. I was knocked out for the duration of that, so no embarrassing stories there.

By this time, it was 11:00. I wasn't the only one who had changed. The rest of the group switched to sports attire, too. Vincent wore his usual sweatshirt, despite how hot it was. I remembered his scars. _That felt like an eternity since I discovered that, but it was only yesterday. I don't want to ask, but curiosity is getting to me…_

"I CAN'T WAIT! I'M GONNA BECOME A NINJA!" Morgan screamed in excitement. Andrew, unable to contain himself, rolled his eyes at him.

"Not so fast, partner," Barney interrupted Morgan's joy. "Remember that we have to stay together. We haven't been doing well with that, but let's start now. Don't forget where we are." His eyes shifted to the walls, like they were going to attack him. Out of fear, we quickly paired up and as a herd, we headed to our destination. I couldn't believe someone remembered where the Dojo was. I was completely lost as it was. The building was outside, but in front of the house, which is why I didn't see it on my earlier expedition. The doors of the room were made out of some papery material, so Andrew carefully pressed onto the wooden sides and pushed. They swung open, reveling wood floors. This wood was much lighter than anything in the house, almost like a honey color. Fold-Away mats were stacked in a corner next to a wall of mirrors. On the opposite wall was a rack that held every type of weapon I could think or imagine.

As our group came in, the doors swung shut. The place was empty, and I was confused. _Isn't Espio supposed to be here?_ As I was contemplating this, Morgan had wandered. He came to the wall of weapons and picked up a Boa staff.

"No WAY. It's just like the one in 'The Forbidden Kingdom!'" He grasped it and twirled it all around above his head. It was going so fast, I could hear the wind from it as it blurred. Ruth broke his concentration.

"OH MY HONEY PUFFS, I LOVE THAT MOVIE!" Morgan looked at her.

"REALLY?" and just then, the staff slipped. It shot towards our group like a demented boomerang. As we shrunk back, it suddenly stopped in mid air. I understood what happened immediately.

"So, how long have you been in here, Espio?" I inquired as I broke from the crowd. Suddenly, he materialized.

"Why Samantha, how did you guess it was me?" He asked rhetorically and sarcastically. His focus shifted to Morgan. "You are just like Charmy…"

"WHO'S CHARMY? WHY IS YOUR NAME ESPIO? ARE YOU A REAL NINJA? HOW DO YOU GET PAST THE DEMON CENTAURS IN 'TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY?" Morgan yelled. Ruth interrupted his line of questioning.

"YOU'RE PURPLE! ARE YOU A GIRL? DO YOU LIKE THAT COLOR? COULD A SWALLOW REALLY CARRY A COCONUT?"

"(GASP)! THAT IS AN AGE OLD QUESTION! ONLY A NINJA COULD ANSWER THAT! TELL US, OH GREAT NINJA!" Morgan and Ruth leaned in to hear his answer. Espio didn't even bat an eye. He must be used to this 'Charmy'.

"Should I start at the beginning of your questions?" They nodded dumbly. "Charmy is a Jr. Chaotix, a detective company I work for. 'Espio' is short for 'Espionage', which is my specialty. Yes, I am a real ninja and I have been studying Ninjitsu my whole life. You must blind the centaurs with your dodge shot, then take the shields with the grapple hook, and once they try to turn you to stone, they will turn to stone. Then you must shoot them before they break the stone. Yes, I am purple. It is inherited. I am male. Purple symbolizes royalty, which is what I would be if it was the 1700s or earlier. All my other clothing was given to me by special weapons makers, but I had no choice in color. I have grown to like it, and as a ninja, I am above trying to make myself feel 'manly'. A normal swallow could not carry a coconut, but an African Swallow or a Mobian Swallow could carry it across the ocean to England, but why any animal would carry a coconut across the ocean to England is a mystery no one can answer."

I. WAS. AMAZED. _I had a hard time keeping up with the questions the first time, but he provided background information, too!_ I was possibly as amazed as Morgan and Ruth, who had run out of words to say. Their mouths were opened, and their eyes were as wide as saucers. They must not be used to that. He turned back to us and ignored our faces.

"As you know, I am Espio the Chameleon. I have agreed to give you lessons in weaponry and fighting for the duration of this week. Today, I will merely evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. I will also give you a weapon today. I understand that some of you have unique talents, so I have things made just for you. This is a gift from Shadow, and you may keep everything I give you without charge. So…" He stopped and looked each of us in the eye. "Who would like to go first?"

"ME!" Ruth yelled. Espio smiled.

"I had guessed as much. Everyone, back against that wall. You may sit on the wood or use some of the mats, I do not mind." We did as instructed as Ruth started to bounce excitedly. Espio fixed his eyes on her.

"Now, we will fight." Ruth gulped, realizing her excitement was a mistake.

"Wait, I don't know how!"

"This is the best way for me to evaluate you. Now, begin!"

He stepped into a fighting stance as Ruth stood nervously. She tried to copy him, but failed. Her rabbit legs forced her off balance. Espio immediately swung his leg low and knocked her to the ground. She cried out as her bum hit the hard wood.

"You must find your center of gravity. Begin!"

She fell again. And again. And again.

After 7 rounds of this, he gave her a weapon. It was a long whip. To my utter amazement, it was just what she needed. Granted, she didn't win against him, but she did a lot better. Well, if you consider not losing in the first 4 seconds better, then yeah, she was better. Each round, Espio got harder on her, a pattern he continued the whole time. He stopped their brawl.

"See how that's just like your plants? Flexible and long. If you do not have access to your plants, you have an alternative weapon."

"YAY!" Ruth happily jumped back to the rest of us. Morgan immediately went out to Espio. He was suddenly more serious as the round begun. Morgan had taken some sort of Karate class, because he could flip up after being knocked down and looked much more graceful and sure of himself then Ruth did. Espio gave him the Boa staff, which he was excited about. He did a lot better because of the longer reach, but didn't win a round.

"Let me try." Andrew interrupted the fight and stepped up. Espio studied him.

"You know some Ninjitsu. Why are you not with your master, completing your Journey?" He asked plainly… _in ninja talk, which isn't plain at all_. Andrew shifted slightly in front of his superior.

"He died while I was in mid-training. I cannot find another master."

"What? Who was your Sensi?"

"Master Goo."

"Oh, he was one of the best. I never knew he passed."

"No one else would take me after his passing. There are too many students and too few masters for them." Espio was thoughtful. He stared at Andrew, debating about something.

"Well, let me see your palm." Andrew gave him his hand, but not without question.

"Why, Teacher?"

"I want to Study it." Andrew's eyes widened.

"You know how to Read?"

"Yes. I met a Badger once." I hadn't understood the conversation up to this point, but suddenly I was more interested.

"A BADGER?" I yelled in astonishment, "But… THEY'RE EXTINCT! The ancient blacksmiths are gone!"

"Wrong. But I'm sworn to secrecy. I cannot tell you where they are, so don't ask… Your palm is interesting… Wait here." Espio jogged out the doors. Andrew stood there in amazement and joy. Badgers are pretty important. Everyone knows their legends and folklore. They could do almost anything with metal. They were the best of the best with machinery and weaponry. They could look at your palm and design the best weapon for you.

"How come he didn't read our palms?" Ruth asked as she pointed to herself and Morgan.

"He already knew what you needed. He wanted to confirm." Andrew answered. "See, I use ninja stars, but it is defiantly not what feels comfortable to me, and he knows that. Yesterday, when I hit Torque with one, I wanted to pin his pant leg to the couch, but that did not happen. I am not as accurate as I could be."

"Something I'm going to fix." Espio came back with a box. It was long, almost as tall as him. He placed it on the ground and opened it towards Andrew and way from us. Andrew gasped and carefully leaned down. As he stood back up, his new weapon became apparent. It looked almost like a double edged throwing knife, but the end was twisted like a corkscrew and the blade was only as long as his palm. He threw his new toy at the wall, but it was a side throw. His wrist twisted and he let go at the right time, sending it straight at an empty wall. It had somehow lodged itself perfectly in the wall. He went over and pulled it straight out, taking a circle of wood with him. He quickly cleaned it off and gapped at it.

"That… is… so…. COOL!" He yelled in excitement. Espio chuckled.

"My badger friend made it but didn't know what to do with it, so he gave it to me. I have no use for it, so it's yours now. See," he grabbed another from the box. "It has miniscule hooks running along the flat of the blade so that once it's in, it will do major damage on the way out. Here, try the gloves." The gloves were pure black that came with a white bracelet, like Espio's. I didn't get a clear look at them, so I can't tell you much more.

Andrew slipped them on and admired them. Suddenly, faster than any of us could see, there were 3 knives in the wall. I don't know how chameleons do that, and I don't know where the blades came from.

"I don't have the equipment now, but later we can duel using our blades. For now, let us have the next person." Espio interrupted his fascination. As Andrew removed the knives and joined us again with the box, Sterling volunteered next.

She was by far the funniest. Sterling thought in all her pride and vanity that she would somehow do better than the rest of us. She was completely wrong. Even after Espio gave her special gloves that had metal spikes on the back and holes in the fingertips for her claws, she still did horribly. We were still laughing hard as she stomped back to us.

Torque stepped up next. He was only a little less amusing. Even though he had boxed before, it didn't help him against the ninja. He constantly used his anger and strength to fight, over-extending himself. He was more vulnerable to Espio's tripping tactics. He did a little better after he got two brass knuckles and almost got Espio a couple of times. The fight stopped when he jumped on Torque's shoulders and Torque tried to beat him off, knocking himself out cold.

After he was dragged to the side, Cameron took his place. Espio suddenly got nervous, obviously knowing something of Andrew's over-protective problems. _He knows a lot, somehow. Maybe Shadow told him._ Andrew immediately leapt forward in front of her. His teeth were clenched.

"YOU. WILL. NOT. HURT. HER."

"Andrew! Calm down!" Cameron whispered from behind him.

"I cannot fight her, then, because I cannot guarantee she will be unharmed. Andrew, listen to-"

"NO!" He yelled back.

"ANDREW THOMAS EDWARDS!" Espio yelled, something I never thought he would do. Andrew calmed down. "If you do not let me do this, there will be no way she could defend herself without you!"

"I can teach her!"

"How can you teach her when you are still a mere pupil? You also know her power. She cannot even defend herself from herself. I can help her. Let me help her! She wants to make her curse a blessing that she can control. Look at her! Cameron wants to be taught that above all else. You cannot teach what you do not know. I have dealt with this before. Let me help you help her." Andrew debated it, but finally gave in. Cameron stepped up again, hope shining in her eyes.

"C-c-can you really f-f-f-fix my curse?"

"I can try. For today, I will try to find you another weapon of choice, in case you are caught in a wet place and cannot use lightning."

"Then I-i-i-i will do whatever it t-t-t-takes." They fought. She did better than everybody else who had fought so far, but only because she knew where her center of gravity was and her shell protected her. Espio was also being far easier on her then the rest. She never struck back, always defending herself. Andrew looked like he was in mortal pain, but he held through. Eventually, Cameron was given two small daggers. The sheaths were placed on her hips, but she could still curl into her ball with them out.

As she rejoined us, Andrew checked her for wounds, but found none, much to his relief.

Vincent ignored them and stepped up. He used his wings a lot, so he was never knocked off balance, but he took many hits as a result. His fighting style wasn't as graceful as Espio's or Morgan's, but it was effective anyway. It was almost as if he was trying to cut down on the fanciness of it. He was given a weapon that was virtually a hook with a handle since Espio knew about his bite. That way, he could grab someone and just chomp on them. Of course, he couldn't really do that to Espio because he would be dead, but I digress.

Carrie was next. She had obviously been a dancer or a gymnast because she was constantly on balance. There was nothing Espio could do to knock her down. She never threw a punch or a kick, but she was light footed. Espio gave her flails, which is a rod that had a chain and a spiky ball on the end.

When Barney stepped into the ring, Espio studied him first. As the fight went on, it was evident that Barney relied heavily on his feet for fighting. He always tried to strike with them. Espio gave him some shoes like cleats, except with longer spikes and non-dulling ends. He also had a blade coming from toes.

Kelki quickly got up and went into the fight. She was another one who knew nothing about brawling. She was faster than Torque, but just as strong, making for a strange combination. After knocking her down for the 8th time, our instructer gave her duel maces. They looked heavy, but Kelki treated them like little rattles. She suddenly switched from not knowing what to do to almost hitting Espio multiple times. I wasn't the only one who noticed.

"You are too dependent on your weapons. You must learn to fight hand to hand combat. You will not always have your maces to get you out of things. Have you fought with these before?" Kelki nodded. As she came back, I went forward. I was last, after all. I hated being any other place. _I'm such a procrastinator._

"Now, you, I have been curious about." I stopped my musings.

"W-Wha?"

"I will tell you after. Now, let us begin." I was determined to at least do better than Sterling. As he got into his attack stance, I spread my feet apart. I waited for him to strike. He did. I was expecting something, but not something so violent. He used tripping tactics on everyone else with very few actual punches. _No, of course not on me, though_. Suddenly, he leapt forward with his fist outstretched, which I found slightly obvious. I had no idea what else to do, so I crouched down and swung my arm against his legs. He stepped on my arm, forcing me downward even more and hopped over me. I twirled around on my knees to find his foot headed to my face. I fell backward, with my back on the wood. He planted both of his feet back on the ground as I tried to get to my feet. I didn't do it properly. He kicked me back down, but I scrambled back before he could kick again. _Well, at least I'm doing better than Sterling. _I wasn't out of the clear yet, so I prepared myself. As we started again, I struck out first. I tried something a little more subtle then he did: both of my feet to his gut. He jumped out of the way of my attack and tried to hit me down with both of his hands. I blocked the majority of it, but I ended up on the wood again. I swung my legs in an effort to trip him. He planted his left foot and used his right to bump up my incoming legs. He grabbed one of my feet and twisted it counter clockwise. I thought he was going to break it. I used my free leg to hit his right while I twisted myself over on my stomach. He almost fell, but caught himself. I hopped up on both of my feet, but his fist hit my sternum, knocking the breath out of me and causing me to fall. He stood over me, looking down.

"You are a strange one." I looked at him quizzically as he continued. "Well, you have no powers. You are strong, but not strong enough for something like a mace or hammer. You are fast on your feet, but not fast like… someone I know. You are flexible and kind of graceful, but not like someone who has fought before. You have no Chaos abilities (that I know of). The one thing that you are extraordinary at is how fast you react. Your reactions are amazing. Did you take a class or something?" Feeling a lot better, I stood and answered him.

"No. I used to do tricking, if that's what you're wondering."

"…What?"

"It's basically doing a bunch of sweet moves that look like fighting moves, but aren't."

"No, you would not develop such reflexes from that. To be able to almost punch Shadow in the face is a feat in itself, but you also had me earlier, even with both of your hands taken. I did notice that when one foot went up, your other one tried to also. That was also your problem just then. I suspect that's from your board, but that's a habit that easy to fix."

"Yeah, I knew the double feet thing. But my reactions were normal."

"Oh no, they weren't!" Kelki yelled. I looked back the group. They were all staring at me, mouths open.

"IT WAS LIKE THE MATRIX! WHAT WAS THAT?" Ruth asked. I was about to answer when I saw something out of the corner of my vision. I couldn't stop it.

_THWACK! _Was the sound a piece of rubber made when it came across my face.

"See, that's the other thing. If you are not ready for it or in a fighting mode, you cannot stop it… strange." Espio wondered as he threw the rubber/foam pole back to where it was before. I glared at him as I rubbed my sore nose. "I think that's an easy fix, too. All I have to teach you is to always be ready."

"Uh, what are you talking about?" Vincent interrupted, "Samantha never fought Shadow, and she never had 'both of her hands taken'."

"That was earlier during the Chaos Control time." I answered. "Don't ask. Anyway, this is all interesting (and a little goofy), but do I get a special weapon, too?" _SWEET! _

"Well, I do not know what to give you." My face fell. "I could just give you a hover board as much as I would hate to, or I could give you something well rounded, like a sword. Wait. Let me read your palm." I looked at him suspiciously.

"Isn't that a chameleon thing?"

"No, it can be used on anyone. Come on." I sighed as I gave him my hand as I ungloved it. He examined it, poking and prodding, as if my paw had the hidden answers to everything. Not finding the answers, he examined up my arm. I looked at him strangely, but he wasn't looking at my face. I switched my gaze elsewhere. He suddenly dropped it like it was hot lava and jogged back out. I stared after him and shrugged.

"OK, that was strange…"

"Seriously, Samantha, that was SCARY!" Kelki squeaked.

"Well, I wouldn't say that… chameleons just do tha-"

"That's not what she's talking about!" Vincent cried. I looked at him quizzically. "You were going so fast! I mean, his very first punch wasn't that fast, but you ducked and swung and he stepped on you-and-and then-"

"What Vincent is attempting to say is that you do not look like you could do anything like that, but I think you are the fastest out of everyone here. I think even faster then I am." Andrew stated calmly. My mouth was gaping. _What? No, I don't._ Andrew continued, "You actually fought longer than 3 seconds against him, and I could tell he was trying. If you had real training, you could be unstoppable." I digested this when Espio came back with another box, but this one was much shorter and thicker. He opened it and I saw something that looked like gloves. I slipped off my gloves in anticipation.

They were long, probably going almost to my elbows. They were as black as coal. I felt them as I slipped them on. It laced up on the underside of my arm, but there was a flap to cover it so that there were no gaps for injury. It was a hard metal with some sort of comfortable fabric on the inside. The wrist was the same fabric so I could twist it any way I wanted. The back of my hand had the same material used to protect my arms. My palm had the fabric so that I could move comfortably, but I guessed that it wouldn't be easy to cut. I felt that there was something in the flats of my fingers (maybe the metal) and fabric on the knuckles.

"This is what you need. Nothing else," Espio said excitedly. "I think you do have a power. Your brain works faster when you focus hard, or when you're in danger."

"No, I don't have powers!" I laughed incredulously. "That's ridiculous."

"I am afraid it is not." Shadow walked in, much to everyone's surprise and discomfort. "I noticed the same thing. The fact that you almost struck me in the face proves it. I don't have a broken nose because I was made for such things." I moaned.

"Not you, too! For Pete's sake, I don't have powers!"

"I will prove it to you." Shadow answered. "Fight me."

There was a collective gasp. My eyes widened.

"Uh, no. You nearly killed me, what, 3 times now? That's like tempting death again!"

"I promise I will not kill you. Is that better?" Shadow asked sarcastically.

"… NO!"

"Fine. I will just have to force you into one." As he said this, he was two feet away. His massive fist went for my face, but I was ready. I leaned way to the side and struck out with my left hand. Suddenly, a blade shot from the hard plate on the back. I didn't get how a three inch blade could emerge from it, but I was shocked. Shadow was shocked, too, and thought it was on purpose. His eyes lit again, and I knew I wasn't dodging what came next. Truthfully, I didn't attempt. He grabbed my left wrist and pulled me into his knee, knocking the breath out of me and possibly giving me a bruise for the duration of my stay. I fell to my knees, unable to draw breath. It was much worse then what Espio had done. He stood over me, and I felt daggers in the back of my head.

"I promised you I would not kill you, and you try to kill me?" I tried to defend myself against the accusations, but I couldn't operate my lungs. I raised a finger until I could speak, but Espio spoke instead.

"I never told her those were there. That was an accident…"

"Besides," I smiled cheekily from my knees while I looked up at him, "I… (gasp) never agreed."

"Alright, fine. A no weapons fight. I will refrain from using any of my weapons, and you have to take those things off." I glared at him. As much as I wanted to say no, I knew that there was no way he would let me. I stood, finally back to normal (maybe). My anger flooded me from not getting a choice in this again. _Who does he think he is? King? Well, I'll never say, "All hail, Shadow"!_

"FINE!" I was feeling much better. I ripped them off and placed them back into the box carefully. I made the first move while he was unawares, but apparently, he was perfectly aware. I turned, ran, and slid to his legs, but he sidestepped and tried to kick me. I caught his foot and pulled him off balance, but he recovered. He tried to get his foot free, but I did the same move Espio did. I twisted it counter-clockwise. I obviously didn't remember that it didn't work for him at the time. He used the momentum from my twisting to lift his other foot and lash out at my face. I let go and blocked with my arms, but I felt and heard snapping noises as it hit. My hands went limp, and the pain and surprise got to me.

"AHH! WHY DO YOU KEEP HURTING ME?" I screamed up at him. I took a good look at my arms. I couldn't lift them. In the middle of where my protection WOULD have been, there was an elbow. Mind you, I already had one on both arms. I wasn't even surprised or scared. I was mad. REALLY MAD.

"SHADOW! WHAT DID YOU DO TO SAM BABY?" Rouge have already been on her way, because somehow, she was right next to me. She saw my eyes. I don't know how they looked, but I bet it had some sort of fire that only black coal could make. She, in turn, glared at Shadow with some sort of fire that only emerald could make. I guess she liked me. She pointed to me and said two words.

"FIX. HER." Shadow sighed.

"It is going to be painful…" Since all he received was more glares, he gave up and fixed me. He took one of my arms and examined it. Now, I had never broken a bone, so I had no idea what was coming. If you have, please, feel free to laugh at my ignorance. "It was a clean break. No shattered bits. Now all I have to do-"

SNAP!

"AHHHHHHH!"

"-is set it. I told you it would be-"

SNAP!

"AHHHHHHH!"

"painful." _Shadow the Hedgehog is the biggest jerk to ever grace this planet._ I was crying now, convulsing in pain. My arms were straight again, but that hurt so BAD. It STILL hurt, by golly! I closed my eyes to keep back as many tears as possible. I had them closed for a while, sobbing at my ill fortune and agony.

Suddenly, I could feel my fingers. I opened my eyes and looked down. I twisted my wrists, completely amazed. Then I looked at where the break was. It looked like nothing had happened. The only evidence was a little red dot. _Shots._ Before I could get extremely angry and sick, I heard a question that made my blood run cold.

"Where's Ruth?" Morgan asked in panic. I sat up and looked around. My partner was nowhere. I turned my gaze to Shadow, who was expressionless again.

"Gone." He said, "10 more contestants. 9 more disappearances."

**OOOO scary. You see, someone told me that Sam seems like a Mary Sue, but I disagree now. I have too much fun putting her through pain! (evil grin) In case you wondered, yes, I have broken a bone. I broke my toe, but I never set it. To this day, it's crooked. REVIEW! BTW, this is the longest chapter yet. And the disclaimer is a loser.**


	9. Silver the WHAT?

**I really have no excuse other then I've been having a rough life lately. It's getting better, though. Sort of. I'm still interested in this story, so that's good. **

**I'm thankful for all my readers who reviewed. One even pointed out something VERY important: Why don't the characters have cell phones? YEAH… I had forgotten about that, haha. I appreciate it, though, and I'm fixing a little now and later. Seriously, if there is something contradictory or unexplained in any way, please inform me. Dude, you could inform me as you flame me, I don't care. Just tell me!**

**And I upped the rating to T because I put Samantha through some pretty tough stuff (I lost count) and I plan on doing more things sort of like that. That's about as intense as it gets, though. **

Chapter 9: Silver the WHAT?

Shadow walked back out the doors after his statement back to the house, with Rouge and Espio following. I felt awful, and not because of my battle wounds, either. _She was my partner, and I was too distracted to take care of her. I distracted everyone!_

"She was YOUR partner, and you were too distracted to take care of her! You also ended up distracting EVERYONE with your little 'broken arms' sob-fest!" Sterling accused. _Well, she's right for once._

"We were all distracted on our own accord for all the fights!" Vincent cried back in my defense since I wasn't putting one up. "He could have taken anyone! It could have been you, or me, or any of us! Pickles… It could even have been Samantha!"

"STOP IT!" Barney interrupted the fight. "You guys are acting like children! Look at us, we're adults. We should be better than this, cowboys! I know it's tough… that we lost one. Especially Ruth-"

"I'm not complaining. She was annoying." Apparently, Torque had decided to wake up from his 'nap'.

"TAKE. THAT. BACK." Growled an angry Morgan. He was gripping his staff with all he had. I slipped my fighting gloves back on, prepared for anything.

"And so are you. I hope you go next. You can join her in-" Torque stood nonchalantly taunting Morgan, which was a mistake. Morgan cried the scariest battle cry ever and raised his Boa staff to strike Torque. I leaned backwards from the oncoming collision between the two when a chain wrapped around Morgan's foot and dragged him to the ground. I followed the links to find Carrie holding the end of her flail. She was TICKED.

"NOW, LISTEN UP! This is obnoxious! I am sick and tired of these petty arguments and fights! It doesn't matter whose fault it was, but what's done is done. GOT IT?" We nodded dumbly. "We will continue trying to survive, and from now on, we all look out for each other…" Carrie looked less sure of herself as the anger dissipated and started to revert back to her shyness. "Because… um… we need to." Her voice died, but I understood, and everyone else exchanged glances. 'United we stand, divided we fall" took a whole new meaning for us.

Barney coughed to break the silence before he spoke. "Um, well… Carrie is right… can't say anymore there. But, um… Lunch is being served soon, so we'll all go there soon. Since one of us is… gone, we should be able to be alone now." Morgan's sobbed broke out, causing my tears to start. "We'll have another meeting tonight for new partners, so we can meet at… 10? Ok, 10 it is. Ok, well, I'm going to lunch," and he hopped out of the Dojo. Everyone followed except for me, which Kelki noticed.

"Samantha?" I looked up from the floor, clearing my eyes from tears.

"I'm fine. Just go to lunch, Kelki… I need to be alone." She hesitated, but left anyway. As soon as she was far enough away, my anger possessed me.

"WHY? Why are we here? Why do we have to disappear? Why-" My fist connected with the wall, causing a deep hole, but I ignored it. "-was it my partner? What had Ruth ever done?" I kicked a mirror with both feet, but used my other hand to hop up afterwards. The glass fell to the ground like a rain shower. I picked up a dagger that sat on one of the racks. "WHY?" I threw it, but not very expertly since I had my eyes closed. I kneeled down and put my face in my hands, trying to get what little composure that I possessed. The fury dissipated into tears, and I realized how tired I was. I was still with the program enough to realize something very important.

_What happened to that dagger? I never heard it land…_

I looked up to where I thought I threw it to find Silver standing there, with the dagger encased in a blue aura. He looked sad and pained, not scared. I stood and tried to act composed, but I had another brilliant thought. _He's been standing there for a while, hasn't he?_ I stared at my feet, not knowing what to say as embarrassment colored my cheeks.

"Um… I can pay for the wall… and that mirror… I got a little carried away-" Suddenly, I found myself pulled into a hug by a strange hedgehog. I blinked again, but my breathing stopped. I decided to accept it and hug him back.

"Don't worry about the wall and mirror. I can fix it!" He let go of me, ignoring my tear stained face. He raised his hands and slowly, everything rippled back into place. The broken boards bent back and the pieces of the mirror fitted together like an intense jigsaw puzzle. I smiled at him.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that-"

"No problem! It's fixed now, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then don't worry!" He grinned. "Well…. Want some lunch?" And like some sort of magical genie, he opened the doors of the Dojo and there sat a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade. I turned towards him, flabbergasted.

"Let's just sit here and eat." I smiled as the little trolley rolled in and a proper picnic was set up. I was pouring myself a glass when Silver startled me.

"It wasn't your fault." I kept my eyes on my lemonade as I put the pitcher back down on the floor. I knew what he was talking about.

"Yes, it was."

"No, SAM, it wasn't. Don't beat yourself up."

"How can I NOT beat myself up for that?" He looked down and started eating as I stared at him. I shook my head. "You know what, I don't even want to talk about it."

"But-"

"Silver, I'll be fine." He didn't look convinced, but I ignored it. "So, Silver the Telekinetic Gatekeeper, what have you been up to the past however many years of your life?" I joked. He chuckled.

"Well, that's a new title."

"What's your normal title, then?"

"Silver the Time Traveler." I busted out laughing, but to my chagrin, he was serious. My eyebrows scrunched up. "Wait, you're not joking?" He shook his head. "Last I checked, time travel was impossible."

"Check again, 'cause I do it all the time." If that was a pun, I wasn't laughing.

"No way… If you can travel in time, why are you here?" Silver thought for a second.

"I met Shadow once on my first trip, and we were able to help each other out. This thing called Iblis was trying to take over the Earth, and it nearly got to, too."

"Wait, that never happened! We would all remember it."

"Only the people involved know it happened." I was skeptical. "See, time is just a big ball of wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimy stuff-"

"OK, now that was straight from Doctor Who! You're just making stuff up."

"It's not my fault that some fictional 20th and 21st century time traveler knew what he was talking about!" He was a little angry at my unbelief, but he was sounding a little crazy.

"Prove it to me, then."

"Ok. Hold on." He held up a yellow emerald like the one Shadow had and he disappeared as he screamed out 'Chaos Control'. He was back immediately, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I moved away from him.

"What was that?"

"I proved it to you."

"But… WHAT?"

"I didn't just walk in here on accident earlier. Notice that I have the perfect number of sandwiches for the both of us. Notice that I didn't get stabbed by that stray dagger. Notice-"I interrupted before he scared me even more.

"Ok, I believe you! Now, um, on with your story."

"Good. Anyway, during the fighting, my friend was taken do a different dimension. I've been trying to find her ever since. I'm only helping Shadow this week so that he'll have to return the favor and help me find Blaze." Silver was extremely downcast. I sat solemnly.

"She's not just a friend, is she?" He locked eyes with me, but shook his head. "Well, Shadow better help you, then!" I smiled, "Or I'll have to beat him up for you!" We both laughed at the idea, remembering how my other brawls turned out. A random thought came to my head: "You know, my brother is telekinetic, too." Silver paled.

"What's his name?"

"Adam Hancock Rivers. Why?"

"That's my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather." I was crying because I was laughing so hard, and Silver started after the initial shock left him.

As I calmed down, I decided to ask another question, but not the one burning my brain.

"Why hasn't anyone called for help?" He was confused. "I mean, almost everyone has cell phones. I don't because my parents won't allow me to own one (something about brain cancer?), but did you confiscate at the gate, or what?"

"Your parents are wrong. Anyway, I didn't have to. There's no service for miles around."

"Was that on purpose?"

"Yeah, Shadow doesn't like feeling spied on, so there's an invisible bubble deflecting signals and satellites around the whole property. Future technology, so don't try to understand."

"Oh." I lay on my back until I got enough courage to ask the burning question. "Hey, Silver… What's my future? Do I survive the week?" His yellow eyes glistened.

"I can't say. I could ruin everything."

I nodded and began to pick up our mess. "Here." He telekinetically put everything back neatly. "Don't take that as 'you're going to go next', but if I told you, it really could ruin everything. BUT don't take this as you're going to survive-"

"I understand, Silver!"He looked sheepish.

"Ok. As long as you get it."

We stood and exchanged goodbyes.

"Till we meet again, Sil."

"Now THAT I haven't been called in YEARS!" We laughed, but he turned serious again. "And before you leave… Just know that it's not as bad as it seems. Shadow isn't what you think he is. He's a lot better than what you could imagine." I rolled my eyes.

"You sound like Rouge."

"Well, she's known him long enough to be able to say that. She's absolutely right, though."

"Whatever." I turned away.

"Sam." He called my attention, so I had to turn back. Not without another eye roll, though. "Don't be so judgmental."

"How can I NOT be judgmental? We're being picked off one by one! We-"

"Samantha!" I stopped and looked at the sincerity in his eyes. "Nothing is as it seems." He walked past me and out the doors, leaving me more confused than when I had first come. I walked back to the house, trying to figure out what my future would be.

**That was shorter then last time, but it was an excellent cut off point. I'll try to work on the next chapter now.**

**Ok, in the Archie Comics, Silver the Hedgehog is called Silver the Time Traveler. He travels around time and makes sure that his future ends up ok. I liked the idea, so I used it. I don't have any claims on that title.**

**If there's anyone out there that doesn't mind the story being ruined for them and actually wants to help me in this process, please contact me. I would love that.**

**REVIEW!**


	10. Not continuing

I'm sorry, my dear readers and those who have actually liked this. I'm not going to continue. I am no longer interested in Sonic. At all. Ok, maybe a little, but not enough to continue. Plus, I feel as though if I were to really continue, I would have to start over. There are so many problems and none of my characters are well-rounded. I don't know when I started this, but I know that I better understand life and people and things that make great characters then when I started. If someone wants to adopt it, that's fine. Just don't make the same mistakes I did.

It's kinda sad that I picked up this story from someone else and now I'm shifting the responsibility. :(

I'm not interested anymore.

I can help the new owner by giving you my notes and my future plans and maybe even beta-reading, since that's what I like doing anyway. Or you can just take the plot and run with it and not talk to me again. It's your choice.

I'm sorry, and I thank you ahead of time for understanding.


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